Once Upon A Time In Tree Hill
by fairytale92
Summary: For best friends Peyton, Haley and Brooke life changes forever when the rich, famous and incredibly handsome Scott brothers return to Tree Hill to shoot the new season of their TV show. Can they all face their demons and live to see their Happily Ever Afters? Modern take on three classic fairytales. LP, NH, BJu.
1. Small Beginnings

**A/N: So it's been a while since I last posted on here, probably getting onto two years now. Some of you may have noticed that I deleted all my stories on here, I won't go into the reasons why but I will say that I'm going to be posting a couple of my old fics back up again probably in the next few weeks. I haven't written in ages, mostly due to lack of time but also lack of inspiration and faith in my writing, but recently, thanks to the amazing br0kenbranch, I've decided to give it a try again and I started writing again. I had this idea for this fic about three years ago now but just never got around to writing it so I'm really excited about writing it now. I'm not sure if I'll write much after I've finished this one (it depends on if I have any more ideas and if I have the time) and I'm not guaranteeing that the post will be very regular or frequent because I have a full-time job now that takes up most of my time but I'll try my best to not leave it too long in between updates. I'm still getting used to writing all the characters again, so bear with me!**

* * *

'Hurry up, Peyt! It's about to start!' Haley yelled from the living room.

'I'll be there in a second! You were the one who _insisted_ on having ice cream for this,' Peyton shouted back from the kitchen next door, 'have you managed to get through to Brooke yet?'

'Nope, still dialling,' came the reply as Haley drummed her fingers impatiently on the laptop, waiting for the girl on the other end of the line to accept her call.

A few moments of quiet passed between the two women, interrupted only by the dialling tone coming from Haley's laptop and the sound of Peyton rummaging around in the kitchen for bowls and spoons as she waited for the ice cream to thaw. The muted TV projected flickering streams of colour into the living room, chasing away the oncoming shadows that the advance of dusk brought. Outside, the world seemed to be slowing down as though it too was anticipating what would happen next. In the last rays of the late August sun, the parts of the street that were visible from the window in the front room were bathed in varying hues of gold and amber. The approach of Autumn was just around the corner and soon the sky would be dark by this time in the evening. As if in preparation for this, there were still a few kids outside riding their bicycles and playing in their front yards; every now and then, couples walked past hand in hand basking in the warmth of the sunset.

All of this, however, was lost on the two women inside the house, as the one with auburn hair was too busy flicking her gaze between the silent TV screen and her laptop and the blonde currently was in the midst of constructing edible masterpieces in sundae glasses. Peyton drizzled the last bit of chocolate sauce over the ice cream and then carefully picked up her creations, balancing them expertly so as to not drop them and then began to walk slowly towards the next door room.

'Peyton, get your skinny ass in here now!' Haley called as the credits for the programme that had just been showing on the TV roll up the screen and, when she didn't get a reply within a few seconds, she bellowed, 'PEYTON!'

The blonde appeared in the doorway in that moment, shaking her head so that her tight curls bounced like they were doing some kind of dance; she was carrying the two glasses that contain what appeared to be two miniature mountains of ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, brownie pieces and sauce, among other things.

'Calm down, woman,' she sighed exaggeratedly, 'anyone would think the house was on fire!'

Haley grinned sheepishly at her, 'Sorry, but you know we all get a little crazy when it comes to this show.'

Peyton chuckled, 'Oh yeah, I know that far too well! I think I still have the mark from where Brooke chucked a coaster at my head for _daring_ to talk during the title sequence.'

'Hey, I still say it was your own fault – I made it very clear what would happen if anyone spoke,' protested a tinny-sounding voice emanating from the laptop on the coffee table.

'Well thanks for finally joining us, Brooke,' quipped Haley, turning to glare at the image of the brunette that had just appeared on her laptop.

'What took you so long, B?' Peyton asked, sitting down on the couch next to Haley and setting the ice cream down on the table in front of them.

'When I heard you guys were going to be eating ice cream, I got jealous and decided I wanted some but then when I went to the freezer I realised I didn't have any, so I had to go out and buy some,' Brooke explained, waving her bowl of ice cream in front of her.

'And you couldn't have told us that before?' Haley demanded, mirroring Brooke's actions but with her phone rather than her dessert.

'I didn't think it would take as long as it did,' Brooke shrugged, her mouth already full of ice cream.

Haley opened her mouth to retort but Peyton cut in, 'Well what matters now is that we're all here together...sort of, so take the TV off mute, shut up and eat your damn ice cream, Haley James.'

She shoved one of the glasses towards Haley and picked up the other for herself. Only just then noticing the sundae, Haley's eyes went wide and lit up, 'Ooo, yummy!'

She clapped her hands like an excited two year old and took the glass and a spoon eagerly. She grabbed the remote and pressed the mute button and suddenly the small room was filled with the jingle of an advertisement for toothpaste. On the laptop screen, they could see Brooke turning on her own TV and pressing buttons on the remote until she got the right channel.

'What do you think is so special that they had to make a one-off episode in-between seasons?' Haley asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

Peyton shrugged and pulled her feet up onto the sofa, 'I dunno, maybe it's just to talk about all the rumours that the show's going to be cancelled after next season.'

'Yeah, or maybe Mrs Peterson finally found a decent wig to replace the one that makes it look like she's got a dead skunk on her head,' Brooke offered, making her friends choke on their ice cream with laughter.

'Yeah right, I think she'd be more upset about losing that thing than she would be if her husband died on air,' Peyton snorted once she'd recovered.

Haley smiled at both her friends and shook her head affectionately before stirring her sundae around her glass with her spoon. It was at times like these that she was comforted to know that no matter what else had changed between the three of them in the past few years that they still had these kinds of moments that demonstrated that they were still as close as ever. Things hadn't been the same since Brooke left for New York three and a half years ago which, of course, was natural. But so often it seemed like while her life had steadily gone upwards, for her and Peyton things had slumped and then plateaued. Of course, she was happy and proud of Brooke – they both were – but she knew that they both wished that their lives had taken a different route.

She was pulled from her reverie by Brooke squealing and Peyton turning up the volume on the TV. And then she was grateful again that they still had this tradition, that even though Brooke was miles apart from them they still made sure that they put aside at least one hour each week to watch their favourite TV show together.

'It's starting!' Brooke squeaked, bouncing up and down.

'I'm actually worried about how excited you are over this, Brooke,' Peyton said with her brow creased but the twitching at the corner of her mouth betrayed how amused she was by her best friend's antics.

Brooke simply stuck her tongue out at her before turning her attention to the TV screen.

'_Hello, and welcome to this special episode of _The Scott Life,' said a deep voice and a heavy-set man with dark hair appeared onscreen, '_I'm Dan Scott and in today's episode I'll catch you up on some of the things that have been happening in my life and then I'll be making a special announcement about next season, so be sure to stay tuned until the very end of the show to find out. Let's look at a reminder of what happened in the last season_.'

The words '_previously on _The Scott Life_…_' appeared on the screen, followed by a series of clips showing the last season's drama.

'I don't care what you guys say, I still think he's got that hot Dad vibe going on,' Brooke said.

'Eeew no, Brooke!' Haley giggled, screwing up her face, 'He's too creepy!'

'Sorry, B, I'm with Hales on this one,' Peyton smiled, 'he's such a smarmy git. I still don't know why Deb's stuck with him or what she saw in him in the first place.'

'Easy answer there, P Sawyer: money,' Brooke stated as though it was the most obvious answer in the world, which, looking at the Scott mansion as it appeared on the TV, it probably was, 'old man Dan is rolling in it and she needs it to keep having her 'medication'.'

'You're so cynical, Brooke, she could just genuinely love him,' Haley said, as the titles started and a picture of Dan with his arms around Deb's waist popped up with their names floating underneath them, 'I mean, look at them: they look pretty happy there.'

'My dear, sweet Haley, you always want to see the best in people,' Brooke smiled affectionately at her friend, 'maybe you're right and she did love him once but she definitely doesn't now. You can see it in the way that she tenses every time he touches her _and_ they have separate bedrooms. Not to mention the fact he sleeps with anything in a short skirt.'

'Doesn't even need to be a short one,' Peyton added with a grin.

Haley suppressed a smile, 'Fine, maybe you're right but even you two can admit that Keith and Karen are really in love.'

'Oh those two, of course they are!' Brooke gasped, as though any other suggestion would have been sacrilege, 'Even our own P Sawyer, who's the biggest love cynic of them all can admit that.'

'Thanks for that title, B Davis,' Peyton snorted, 'and yes, I won't deny that Karen and Keith are very much in love and that they do make a very cute couple, but you can hardly blame me for being sceptical about love and marriage: just look at what's happened to all our parents.'

'Hey, my Dad and Kathy are very happy together, thank you very much,' Brooke protested.

'You're right, of course,' Peyton smiled, but it was a little strained as she thought of her and Haley's situations.

Haley, sensing her sadness, reached across and took her hand and squeezed it, 'We've been talking too much: we've already missed the first couple of minutes.'

For the most part, they remained quiet for the rest of the episode, occasionally commenting on something that had happened and then chatting during the ad breaks. The episode wasn't particularly exciting or interesting: it mostly focused on Deb and Dan's eldest child looking at various colleges, Dan dealing with a difficult employee at his car dealership and Deb organising her latest charity lunch.

'Ugh this is all so unnecessary,' Peyton groaned as the final ad break started, 'this is obviously just a filler episode to keep us all interested until the next season. Dan could have just done a press release or an announcement saying whatever it is he has to tell us and not made us sit through an hour of this garbage. He's only done it to get people watching, money grabbing bastard.'

Haley hummed in agreement, stretching herself out of her position on the sofa and shifting into a more comfortable one.

'Hate to say it but I have to agree with you on this one, Peyt,'Brooke yawned, 'this episode's actually managed to be more boring than the one where Deb had a flower arranging class. I don't know why Dan feels the need to try and make more money from this show – it's already one of the most popular reality TV shows on and he's made millions from it alone, even without his company.'

'I believe as Peyton so eloquently put it: he's a money grabbing bastard,' Haley offered.

'Hear, hear,' Peyton grinned, raising her now empty sundae glass in a mock toast.

'Oh, this is it, this is it!' Brooke shouted, as the break finished and Dan's upper half reappeared onscreen in front of a white background with lighting that was clearly designed to make him appear younger.

'_So, as promised, dear viewer, it's now time for me to make a special announcement about the next series of _The Scott Life. _As you know, this show isn't just about me and my children and friends, but also about my wider family._'

'He's going to bring on Lucas and Nathan!' Brooke squealed excitedly.

'You're so obsessed with those two,' Peyton chuckled.

'What?' Brooke shrugged defensively, 'They're _Hot_! With a capital 'H'.'

'Brooke, honey, you think everyone on this show's hot,' Haley laughed.

'Well, I can't help it if Dan Scott just happens to have a ridiculously attractive family,' Brooke said, flipping her hair casually over her shoulder, 'but those two make the rest of them look like mountain trolls.'

'Shhhh! You're talking all over his announcement,' hissed Peyton, waving her hand at them to be quiet.

'Please, Dan loves the sound of his own voice so much I doubt we've missed anything important,' said Haley, rolling her eyes.

They fell silent and the sound of Dan Scott's voice once more permeated the living room.

'…_And so for that reason, I need my nephews to come and help me with this announcement_...'

'I told you!' Brooke shouted in triumph.

The next second, the camera pulled back to show two young men, one on either side of Dan. They were both in their early twenties, well-built and incredibly handsome. While there were clearly some family resemblances between the two of them, and even between them and Dan, for the most part they looked quite different. The one on the left, Lucas, had sandy blonde hair and was tanned, with deep blue eyes and a bit of stubble, while the one on the right, Nathan, had dark brown hair and lighter blue eyes, fairer skin and was clean shaven. They both smiled charmingly and looked at ease in front of the camera.

'_Hi, I'm Lucas_,' the blonde man said, shifting ever so slightly in his seat.

'_Hi, I'm Nathan_,' his brother smiled, looking a bit more confident than Lucas.

'_And for the next season of _The Scott Life,' they said in unison, '_you're going to be joining us as we travel back to our hometown, Tree Hill. See you then._'

The screen held their smiling faces for a second longer before going black and the credits started rolling up it. The three girls sat in shocked silence for a moment, unaware of the theme song of the show that was fading out or the announcer's voice telling them what would be on next.

Eventually, Peyton looked over at Haley and said in a hushed voice, 'You know what this means, right? They're coming here.'

Haley nodded, 'They're coming home.'

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**A/N: So, thoughts? Good, bad, indifferent? Let me know! I know it probably doesn't make a lot of sense right now but hopefully it'll become clearer as the story goes on. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Scotts of Tree Hill

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's favourited and followed this story and me as an author so far and an extra big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review! I really can't tell you how amazing it feels to get such a great response to a story when you haven't written in ages, so thank you all! I'm half asleep right now but I wanted to post this before I crash so that you wouldn't have to wait any longer. There's a lot of background info in this one so bear with me, but I'm trying to get all the little basic bits out of the way now so we can get onto the bigger plot quicker. Hope it lives up to everyone's expectations!**

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By the time they were six years old the Scott boys knew that their surname was a household name. It had become a globally recognised brand by the time they were in middle school. By the halfway point in their sophomore year all of America knew their family's history and everything there was to know about them. Before they had graduated they had become two of the most popular and well-recognised teenagers in the country. And, in the four years that had passed since, they had been used in advertisements and as poster boys for everything from fast food chains to charities. Their faces were so well known that if they wished to go outside unnoticed they had to go in disguise because there was always bound to be either a gaggle of eager fans or a horde of paparazzi waiting to pounce on them, hungry for even a glimpse of the nation's golden boys.

Of course, as with any celebrity, Lucas and Nathan Scott's fame wasn't born overnight and the story of their road to success was so well known by the general public that they could probably recite it in their sleep. The tale of their rise to fame didn't start with them being uncovered as child prodigies; in fact, it doesn't begin with them at all, but with their paternal grandparents in a town in North Carolina known as Tree Hill.

Into the proud name of the Scott family were born two brothers, Keith and Dan, whose father was a drunken deadbeat who squandered what little money they had on liquor and women and whose mother worked herself into an early grave striving desperately to provide for her family. Upon their mother's death, the brothers both took up apprenticeships at the local mechanic's garage and learnt how to fix cars and other vehicles. A couple of years later, the mechanic retired, leaving the elder brother, Keith, in charge of the business and under his leadership it became very successful, earning both him and Dan enough money to fund the latter's way through college.

Four years later, Dan emerged from college with a degree in Business and Marketing while his brother had started dating, and was by then engaged to, the love of his life, Karen Roe. Dan instantly put his newly gained qualification to use by gaining joint ownership of the Tree Hill garage with Keith and opening another branch in Charlotte (he also moved there himself, while Keith remained in Tree Hill), with the view for their company eventually to be able to make a chain of garages all over the country. Keith and Dan co-owned this new company and called it 'Scott & Scott', which perhaps wasn't particularly imaginative but, luckily for them, the business did well anyway. Within two years the brother had made enough to open up two more garages, this time outside of North Carolina. By then Keith and Karen were happily married and Dan had met and was engaged to Deb Lee but they were still existing in relative, though fairly affluent, obscurity.

The tipping point came a year into Dan and Deb's marriage, also marking the birth of their nephews, Lucas and Nathan – miracle IVF twins born after their parents had been told that they would never have children naturally. Not long after their birth, Dan began to feel the need to take the company in a new direction in order for it to become more successful. Before the twins had celebrated their first birthday Dan was celebrating the arrival of a new business scheme: he had decided to enter the market of making cars as well as fixing them. With Keith's support and approval, he started work on making up a brand and talking to experts in the field. Dan Scott was not satisfied with being mainstream or ordinary in life and so it made perfect sense that any line of car that he was involved in manufacturing would be as far from mundane and everyday as possible. He decided to create a range of cars aimed at the elite and this meant that everything had to be of the highest quality, so he hired the best people to work on every aspect of designing and creating his masterpiece.

After three years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, a new breed of car was born and the company changed its name to match the one that Dan and Keith had chosen for their cars: Raven. It was named after the brothers' high school basketball team, the Tree Hill Ravens, on which both had played and had often provided an escape from their father, thus earning it high esteem for the two of them. Business was slow after the first showroom was opened and the brothers had to rely almost solely on the revenue from their garages just to keep the company from going bust. But then, after six months of failure, out of the blue one of the world's wealthiest businessmen requested a personalised car to be made for him so he could attend a prestigious charity event in it. After the media coverage of the occasion, Raven's sales skyrocketed overnight and anyone who was anyone wanted to buy one of their cars. Raven cars became the modern man's Rolls Royce; as one car magazine put it: 'an instant classic'.

This was how, as previously mentioned, the name Scott was known nationwide by the time Lucas and Nathan had turned six, though, perhaps, it was untrue to call them a 'household name' as, due to the elite nature of their cars, most of ordinary households would have to sell half their belongings to afford one. But the brothers were now famous: they were the face of the company and were climbing their way up the social ladder. At Keith's insistence, they kept their existing garages open and built several more across the country and, later on, around the world to accompany their showrooms and factories. Less than 6 years later, Raven was selling to all major countries and had factories, garages and showrooms in several of them; they were renowned for being sleek, elegant: understatedly and effortlessly classy.

Here we come to the part of the Scott's story which truly led to Lucas and Nathan being celebrities: not content with just being one of the country's most successful businessmen, Dan eventually decided to start his own TV programme that would document the inner workings of his business. However, the show, which was instantly popular, quickly came to also show large amounts of Dan's personal and family life, and, later, snapshots of the lives of some of his employees and his friends and neighbours. The show joined many others in a line-up of reality TV shows that provided insight into the lives of the rich and famous and, of course, its coverage was good for business. In its first year, _The Scott Life_ introduced Dan and Deb and their three children, the company's backstory and several of its workers; then, later on, their wider family was shown and the viewers became acquainted with Keith's branch of the Scott family.

It didn't take too many appearances from the young, handsome Scott brothers to get the audience to fall in love with them and so, unsurprisingly, the next year they were frequently featured in the new season as the show followed their careers in high school basketball, playing on the same team that their father and Uncle had years before. They were both incredibly talented players and the show's coverage of their games and training sessions led to them both being offered highly prestigious scholarships at top colleges. However, only Lucas accepted his as Nathan dropped out of high school halfway through his senior year, though for reasons that had never been explained. Nevertheless, Nathan's basketball career did not suffer as a result of his academic failure: he was offered a place on the Charlotte Bobcats' team and so went straight on to play in the NBA. Both boys left Tree Hill and Keith and Karen, now with their daughter Lily (who had been another miracle baby as she had been naturally conceived), moved away as well to put some distance between them and the fans. The show continued to follow both of the brothers and their fame continued to increase as they were offered sponsorship deals, featured on advertisements and invited onto talk shows.

Four years later, as Dan Scott and his nephews made announcement on national television that Lucas and Nathan would be returning to their hometown, which is where our story, and theirs, really begins.

* * *

The sun had set fully a mere matter of minutes ago and the sky outside the small house was inky blue set with pinpoints of blinking light from the stars which had taken up residence in it. The moon was a very picturesque crescent shape, glowing where it hung in the sky, suspended above the hundreds of buildings and streets below it that made up the town of Tree Hill. The river that ran through the town was a silver ribbon that rippled past the trees and roads almost silently as it carried away the debris of the day. The street was empty now, with only the light shining from the streetlights and through windows and curtains to show any signs of life. Inside the red brick house which stood alone at the end of the road sat the auburn and blonde haired girls talking to a pretty face on a small screen.

'Why do you think they're coming back?' Haley mused aloud, twisting her hair up into a bun to keep it from bothering her.

Peyton shrugged, 'I don't know; just now they made it sound like they'd been missing home but it's not like we ever saw them when they were here. They were always shut up in that massive house of theirs on the hill like they were too good to come and socialise with us 'commoners'.'

'Come on now, Peyt, I'm sure they didn't see us like that,' Haley said calmly, to which Peyton replied only with an arched eyebrow that she knew well enough by now was expressing her disbelief.

'You guys are so lucky!' Brooke moaned from the laptop's place on the coffee table, 'You're going to get to see them all the time and find out all the gossip. Ooo! Maybe you'll appear on the show!'

'I don't know why _you're_ getting excited about that, Brooke, you're on TV all the time and you know plenty of famous people,' Haley laughed.

'Yeah but it's not the same!' Brooke waved her hand dismissively, 'It's our favourite show and we basically grew up with them.'

'We barely saw them after they started being home-schooled in fourth grade,' Peyton snorted derisively, 'we can hardly say we know them. And if you're that upset about it, Brooke, then you'll just have to come and visit us, won't you?'

'Of course!' Brooke clapped her hands in delight, 'I mean, I was going to come and visit you guys anyway, but now I'll have to make it even sooner!'

'Well, I can't say I'm that fussed about them coming back here but if it gets you to come back sooner, then I hope they move here tomorrow,' Peyton smiled at the image of her best friend on the screen.

'I'm flattered, honey, really I am, but how can you say you're not bothered about them coming to Tree Hill?' Brooke demanded incredulously, 'It's Nathan and Lucas _Scott_ we're talking about here: two of the nation's biggest, hottest, _richest_ celebrities; they're practically like royalty!'

'What can I say? I've never been a massive advocate of the concept of monarchy,' shot back Peyton.

'Oh please,' scoffed Haley, 'we both saw you getting teary when we were watching William and Kate's wedding.'

Peyton supressed a smile as she muttered a 'whatever' under her breath; she glanced down at her watch and instantly her whole body stiffened, 'Hate to cut the gossip time short but I've got to get home, ladies. It's almost time for curfew.'

She got up and started grabbing her things and clearing away the sundae glasses simultaneously before Haley swatted her hands away from the dishes.

'Leave those to me,' she insisted when Peyton tried to protest, 'there're only two and you'll have a mountain of them to do at home.'

'Thanks, Hales,' Peyton smiled tiredly as she pulled the smaller woman into a hug, 'I'll see you soon.'

'No problem, sweetie,' Haley mumbled into Peyton's curls, 'see you soon.'

Peyton released her before turning and carefully picking up the laptop, she pulled it close and wrapped her arms around it, knowing that somewhere in New York Brooke was doing the same to her laptop. It was another one of their silly little traditions that they had created since she had moved away but she was glad they'd stuck to it.

'Bye, B Davis,' she said as she put down the laptop and waved at the screen, 'speak to you again soon, okay?'

'Okay, P Sawyer,' Brooke nodded, also waving, 'and I expect lots of juicy gossip about the Scott brothers coming back to town. Bye, sweetie.'

Peyton smiled and waved once more to both the women before heading out into hallway and leaving the house. The walk back to her house was not a long one and it was one that she was now so familiar with through years of walking it that she could do it with her eyes shut. She and Brooke had been neighbours when they were growing up and, with Haley's house being only a couple of streets away, the three of them had spent a lot of time going between the three houses as children and, later on, as teenagers. As Peyton turned into her road she could see her house from the corner and Brooke's old one beside it. She still felt her heart grow heavier every time she looked at the place where her best friend had once lived and remembered that now a different family had taken the place of hers. Life had been easier when she had been able to escape next door and pour out all her troubles to Brooke when things got too hard at home; of course she knew that Brooke was only a phone call away if she needed her but it still wasn't the same as talking to her face to face. Also, she reminded herself every time she reached for her phone that Brooke was busy enough without having to worry about her problems as well; more often than not she would keep it to herself or go to Haley's house and speak to her instead. It wasn't that Haley was her second choice as a confidante – she loved both her best friends equally – it was that Haley was often far too kind and cautious in her advice whereas Brooke wasn't afraid to give Peyton a good verbal smack around the head if she needed it.

Peyton put her thoughts of her friends from her head as she walked up the path to her front door. The houses on her street were a lot larger than those on Haley's: her house was more than twice the size of the James' but in far worse condition on the outside. There had been a time, many years ago, when the Sawyer house had been the prettiest house on the street, with roses and vines climbing around the porch and up to the roof, sunny yellow shutters on the windows and a fragrant, bright garden in front. Looking at it now, it was hard to imagine that it had ever been like that: the roses and vines had withered away long ago and had been replaced with ivy that was now dying too, the paint on the shutters was flaky and most of it had warped or peeled off to leave an ugly brownish hue and, where there had once been grass, shrubs and flowers, there was now only a dry, dusty patch of earth. Peyton had tried her best to prevent the decay of her home but there was only so much she could do on top of her other responsibilities and, at the end of the day, it had been a choice between having food on the table or a house that looked nice; naturally, she had chosen not to starve at the expense of the house's aesthetic.

Digging out her keys from her purse, Peyton inched her hand towards the lock; she always tried to take as long as possible to go into the house to delay even for a few minutes what awaited her on the other side of the door. Eventually, when she could avoid it no longer, she twisted the key in the lock and pushed open the door. For one blissful moment there was silence and she stayed where she was, shutting her eyes and letting it wash over her like a balm.

'And just where have you been, young lady?' a shrill voice demanded from the dark recesses of the house, shattering the peaceful illusion.

Peyton glanced down at her watch and sighed inwardly in relief, 'It's ten minutes before curfew.'

'Yes, I'm aware of that. I can tell the time,' replied the voice sarcastically, 'that doesn't answer my question though, does it?'

'I was at Haley's,' Peyton answered flatly as she clomped through the house, 'I told you that before I left, just like I have every Monday for the last three and a half years.'

'That snarky attitude doesn't suit you, Peyton,' the voice sang from behind the door at the very end of the corridor.

She hesitated for a second as she reached the door, weighing up her options. All she really wanted to do was go to her room and lock herself away but she knew that she was going to have to have this conversation anyway, the only question would be whether it was now or in the morning. Seeing as she could hardly escape the fact that her presence in the house had not gone unnoticed, she knew that she was only going to make it worse for herself if she went upstairs now. So, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin and pushed open the door.

The open door revealed a woman alone in a large living room, reclining regally on a cream chaise longue over by the window at the far end of the room. The rest of the furniture was also cream, resting on pale wooden floorboards and the walls of the room were a pale green-grey colour; on one wall stood a large fireplace with a small fire burning within it and an intricately embroidered rug lying in front of it.

The woman herself was medium height and thin with long dark brown hair that had been coiled gracefully into a bun, her face was heart-shaped and covered in flawless makeup and two grey eyes stared out from it at Peyton. She was dressed in a blue silk robe and floor length nightgown with designer navy high heels peeping out from where she had tucked her feet under her body. In that position and in those clothes and makeup Claudia Sawyer looked like she was waiting for a photoshoot and Peyton knew that was exactly how she had intended it to look. She supposed that to most people her stepmother must be a very attractive women but Peyton was so accustomed to seeing her for what she looked like on the inside that she could never view her as anything other than hideous.

'What do you have to say to me?' Claudia demanded coolly from her place on the chaise longue.

'Sorry, stepmother,' Peyton said emotionlessly, knowing that whether she made it sound sincere or not they would both know that she didn't mean it so she'd rather not waste the energy.

'Peyton, how many times have I told you not to call me that?' the older woman frowned slightly to show her displeasure but not enough to leave a wrinkle in her otherwise unblemished skin.

'Sorry, _mother_,' Peyton corrected, hiding a smirk of triumph as she saw her stepmother wince at the term.

Claudia said nothing in reply but simply fixed her stony grey eyes on her stepdaughter, her face set in a dangerously impassive expression until Peyton finally gave in and said, '_Fine_! Sorry, _Claudia_.'

The woman's face formed into something vaguely resembling a smug smirk, 'Good girl, that's better. You can save all that sentimental crap until the next time your father comes home.'

'And when will that be exactly?' Peyton asked casually, trying to hide the desperation she felt inside from her voice.

'Oh, it won't be for ages yet,' she replied vaguely, 'he was only just here after all.'

'It's been six months since he visited,' Peyton reminded her.

'Really?' drawled Claudia, 'It seems like only yesterday he was here, brightening all our lives. I really do miss him so when he's not here.'

There was a moment of silence as they both contemplated the fact that neither of them believed her.

'What did you want to speak to me about?' Peyton eventually prompted her, already itching to be out of her presence.

'I simply wanted to know why you've been lying to me for the last few weeks,' Claudia said, her voice sounding flat and disinterested but Peyton knew better by now than to be fooled by it: she could hear the underlying sharpness in her tone.

'I don't understand what you mean,' Peyton frowned in genuine confusion as she mentally went through the last few weeks trying to catch onto anything that might explain her stepmother's displeasure.

'I am referring to the Scott brothers' little announcement tonight about their return to Tree Hill,' Claudia said, examining her perfect fingernails under the pretence of searching for dirt under them, as if there was ever a chance of her allowing it to reside there.

'I didn't know anything about it until tonight,' Peyton told her, trying to let her innocence show on her face in the hope that Claudia would let it drop.

'Do not lie to me, young lady,' Claudia hissed dangerously, her eyes flicking up from her nails to hit Peyton with the full force of her cold, hard glare, 'you work for their family, you must have been told something.'

'I swear to you I haven't,' Peyton protested, 'they haven't told me anything. Before tonight I was as much in the dark as you, I promise.'

'Your promises and oaths mean little to me, you little snake,' came the venomous reply, 'why would they have kept it from you? You clean their house every week, they must have told you that they wanted it prepared for their return.'

'They didn't! Nobody knew about this until today,' she insisted, trying to remain calm, 'they probably didn't tell anyone so that they could keep it a secret and make sure that no one leaked it to the press before they announced it.'

The pause that followed was filled with tension as Peyton waited for whatever sadistic punishment Claudia had planned for her to teach her the consequences of deceiving her beloved stepmother. Claudia's expression was one of contemplation as though she was weighing up all her options before speaking again.

'Very well, I see your point,' she conceded eventually and Peyton's shoulders visibly slumped in relief, 'they could hardly trust someone like _you_ to keep such a secret.'

Peyton held back from pointing out that, had she known in advance of the Scott's arrival, Claudia had already made it clear that she would have expected her to break that confidence in order to inform her of it, thus forcing her to be untrustworthy. Instead, she simply nodded and said tightly, 'Quite.'

'Good, well now that we've cleared up that rather unpleasant business, I can get to my other point. Now that we know that the Scotts are coming I want you to get this house back into shape, no more slacking and spending time with your little friends. We can hardly have the cameras and media coming to town and have the house looking like it does; the shame would be unimaginable.'

'I don't know what more you can possibly want me to do: the house looks fine how it is. Everything is clean and tidy and in order,' Peyton stated as calmly as she could.

Claudia let out a high-pitched giggle, 'Oh you stupid girl! I'm talking about the outside of the house of course, we're the laughing stock of the whole town. It looks like we have squatters living here or that it's some kind of crack den; I can't believe I've let it go on for this long. I want you to have it sorted out before the Scotts even set foot back in this town, understand?'

'But that's at least a week's solid work!' Peyton spluttered, 'I can't do it on my own, not with everything else. I just don't have time.'

'I don't recall phrasing that as an option, Peyton. I want the house looking perfect for the Scott's arrival and that is not an option. You'll just have to make the time for it – get up earlier, go to sleep earlier, come back and do it during your break, stop seeing your friends – I don't care how, just get it done. Have I made myself clear?'

It took everything that Peyton had in her not to answer back and she had to remind herself that it was not worth the punishment she would get, especially when she would just end up having to do the work anyway. So she swallowed her indignation and pulled her expression back to one of indifference, 'Yes, Claudia.'

'Good, I'm glad we understand each other. Now those dishes aren't going to do themselves, so run along.'

Peyton didn't need telling twice to get out of there, she turned on her heel and stalked out, barely keeping a lid on her rage. She could feel it bubbling up inside her, scalding her insides with the effort that it took to hold it in. There was no point in arguing that she already woke up before everyone else in the house and went to sleep after them, or that her break times and the few hours she spent with Brooke and Haley every week were pretty much the only times she wasn't working. There was no point because Claudia simply did not care and no amount of protesting would make her. Peyton had learnt very quickly that, when it came to her stepmother, she had to pick her battles.

Kicking open the door to the kitchen, she sighed as she saw the sink and the pile of dirty plates, glasses and cutlery next to it. Haley had been right when she'd said that she would have a mountain of washing up to do when she got back; it always amazed her how much mess was left for her to clean up in the evening when she did it throughout the day to prevent it from all piling up like it was now.

There had been a time when they'd had a dishwasher that had made Peyton's job so much easier but Claudia had deliberately broken it and then refused to fix it after Peyton had called her a selfish, money-grabbing bitch when she had taken that month's gas money and spent it all on a pair of shoes. To this day, Peyton still hadn't apologised: what she'd said was true and, no matter what had happened next, it had been worth it for the shocked look on Claudia's face. She finished washing the dishes, dried them and put them away before heading outside to the front of the house and taking out her frustration by pulling down all the ivy from the walls. She knew that she should probably leave it until morning so that she could see what she was doing but she needed to do something to calm herself down and anyway it would be one less job for her to do the next day.

'Stupid Scotts and their stupid show having to come back here,' she muttered angrily to herself while she worked, 'why'd they have to come here anyway? They could have gone anywhere in the world but oh no they just _had_ to get all sentimental and want to come home! Stupid, _selfish_ Scotts!'

When she'd managed to do as much as she could without getting out a step-ladder, she went inside and dragged herself up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible as she knew everyone else would be asleep by now. However, just as she was about to go up the narrow stairs to her room in the attic, she heard the floorboards creak behind her.

'Peyton?' a small voice called out.

* * *

Haley sighed deeply as she heard the front door swing shut; she turned back to face her laptop and Brooke's troubled expression and sat down on the sofa.

'I still don't understand how she puts up with that witch,' Brooke frowned.

'You know why she has to,' Haley said sadly, 'she doesn't have a choice.'

'Of course I know _why_, Hales, I'm just saying I can't believe our Peyton Sawyer has stuck with it for as long as she has. I mean this is the girl who verbally abused someone for pushing in front of her at a Cure concert for at least ten minutes; she's no pushover.'

''Course she isn't,' Haley snorted, 'to be fair, though, we both know how crazy she gets when it comes to The Cure. And it's not like she doesn't stand up for herself, it's just that it doesn't make any difference.'

'I'm still amazed she hasn't decked the woman yet,' Brooke smiled slightly at the thought.

'I'm sure it's only a matter of time before she does, and then who knows what kind of hell Claudia will unleash on her,' Haley said grimly.

Brooke was silent for a moment while she contemplated that thought before shuddering, 'Let's hope we manage to figure out a way of getting her out before it gets to that point.'

'It's been almost ten years now, if we were going to think of a plan wouldn't we have done it by now?'

'Maybe we just need to look at it from a different perspective,' Brooke mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

'Could do, but not now. Let's sleep on it and see if we come up with anything. I can't think of anything clever when I'm this full of ice cream,' Haley patted her stomach, then yawned and stretched.

'Good plan, Hales,' Brooke nodded, 'we'll just keep thinking of it whenever we've got a free moment and then text each out if we think of something. I've got to go now and it looks like you're drifting off anyway so I'll say goodbye and goodnight.'

''Night, B,' Haley waved at her and then hugged the laptop the same way Peyton had done before, 'speak to you soon, sweetie.'

''Night, Haley, take care of yourself, and even though I know you do anyway, keep an eye on Blondie for me, will you?'

'I will,' Haley promised, 'take care of yourself too. Bye.'

Brooke waved once more before Haley ended the call and the screen went blank. Haley sat still for a moment thinking of her friends before gathering up the dirty dishes and heading into the kitchen to wash them up. The only sounds were those of the glasses and spoons occasionally clinking as she rinsed them and stacked them in the dishwasher and the quietness grated on her. It had been several years now since the house had been full of life and noise but she still found herself missing the clatter and chaos that had surrounded her growing up. Everything seemed so empty and dull now, giving her far too much time alone with her thoughts which at the moment were not too happy given that she was thinking of Peyton's home situation as well as her own.

She finished clearing up and then went back through to the living room to pick up her laptop before heading upstairs. She put the laptop on her bed before heading down the hallway and knocking on one of the doors on the left.

'Come in, Haley,' a deep voice came from inside that instantly made her feel calmer.

'Hey, Daddy,' Haley smiled as she pushed open the door and saw the man sitting inside.

Even though she was probably far too old by now to be calling her father 'daddy' she couldn't bring herself to stop using the term, it made her feel like she was a child again: safe and loved. She knew that her father appreciated it too to know that someone still saw him in that light and needed him. Jim James was still a proud man in many ways and Haley refused to wound his ego any more than it already had been by taking away his role as her protective father, not when he had lost so much already.

She looked around the study and frowned at the mess which surrounded her father: the walls were lined with bookshelves but many of the books that had once lived on them were lying around or stacked up haphazardly in piles, various scraps of paper littered the room and the bin was overflowing with junk food wrappers. In the pale light shining from his computer screen, her father looked older and more tired, the wrinkles on his face standing out in sharper contrast and the premature grey hairs mixing in with the brown ones on his head seeming more obvious.

'You're back from work early, sweet pea, do you want to have some lunch?' Jimmy asked, breaking through her concerned thoughts.

Haley hesitated for a moment before saying gently, 'Daddy, it's nine o'clock…at night.'

Jimmy's head jerked up with a start to stare at the clock in confusion, 'Oh, so it is, I completely lost track of time! So did you have a good time with Peyton and Brooke, then?'

Haley was amazed for a second that he was able to remember what day it was and her routine when he couldn't even keep an eye on the time but then she saw the big calendar that she had made him at the beginning of the year lying on his desk with that day's date circled and a small note on it about her and her friends watching their show scribbled there.

'Yeah, it was good,' she answered quickly, anxious to assess just how much of the day he'd missed, 'do you want something to eat, Daddy?'

'What? Oh no, no I'm fine thank you, Haley,' he replied hurriedly, 'I just ate.'

'You just asked me if I wanted lunch, Daddy, which implies that you haven't eaten anything since breakfast,' Haley pursed her lips, so that her face unconsciously made the same expression as when she was unimpressed with one of her students.

Jimmy's shoulders slumped slightly in defeat, 'No, I suppose I haven't. You're too smart for your own good, you know that?'

Haley smiled, 'So I've been told. Now let's get you some food.'

'Hales, there's no need,' he insisted, 'I'll just come down and make myself something in a minute or two. You need some time to relax.'

'I've had plenty of time to do that. What I _need_ is for you not to make yourself ill by skipping meals, and I know that if I do as you ask and leave you to do it for yourself then you'll forget about it and you won't eat anything. So come on, we're going downstairs now,' she ordered firmly, going round the desk and escorting him from his seat.

'I don't want you to go to any trouble making me food,' he protested weakly, knowing it was no use fighting against his daughter over this, not when she had her 'determined face' on.

'It won't be any trouble at all, I already left a plate of food for you in the kitchen so we'll just need to heat it up,' she dismissed his comment briskly.

Jimmy was quiet after that as he let himself be taken downstairs by Haley, wondering just how they had changed parent and child roles so that he was now the one being taken care of and worried over. They entered the kitchen and Haley instantly went over to the fridge to start getting his dinner ready but he moved in front of her and made her sit down at the table.

'I think I can find the microwave for myself, thank you,' he laughed and got the plate out from the fridge.

He put it in the microwave and set the timer on it before rooting around in the drawers to find cutlery. Haley had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from telling him where they were: she knew that he wanted to do things for himself but she couldn't help worrying about him when he didn't even seem to know where to find a knife and fork in his own home. Eventually, he located the utensils and retrieved his food from the microwave and came to sit down next to his daughter at the table.

'So what happened on your show tonight?' he asked in between mouthfuls of food.

'Not much really, not until the end of it anyway,' Haley said, watching her father eat to make sure that he was eating everything.

'Oh? And what happened then?'

'They announced that Lucas and Nathan are coming back to Tree Hill for the next season, so there'll be cameras here in no time,' Haley shuddered at the thought.

'Are those the boys that were in your year at school? The soccer stars?' Jimmy frowned as he struggled to remember the faces that went with those names.

'Yes but they're basketball players, Daddy,' Haley corrected him with a slight smile, 'they're Keith and Karen's sons, remember?'

Jim's face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to recall them before it lit up with recognition, 'Oh yeah I remember, him and his brother make those fancy cars and they own that mechanics in town.'

'That's right,' she grinned, relieved that he remembered them, 'they own the big house up on the hill.'

He nodded, 'It's all coming back to me now. They left town a few years ago, didn't they? So they've decided to come back to their roots, then?'

'Yeah, I guess so,' Haley shrugged.

'Are you excited about it?'

She shrugged again, 'It'll be good for the businesses in town, I suppose, with all the money coming in from the film crew and the fans, but it'll be so busy and so full of airhead fangirls that I can't say I'm that thrilled about it.'

'Well, there'll also be sports fans, Haley, so maybe you'll meet a nice young man,' Jimmy winked teasingly.

Haley blushed and rolled her eyes, 'I have Garrett, remember?'

Her father wrinkled his nose in disapproval, 'What, that waste of space? You deserve better, sweet pea.'

'Daddy!' Haley gasped, her mouth forming a small 'o' of shock.

'What? It's true,' he huffed, 'you're too good for him and everyone can see it, even him.'

Haley rolled her eyes again, 'You have to say that: you're my father.'

'Yes, I do but it doesn't stop it from being any less true,' Jim's voice softened and he reached across the small space between them and took her hand, squeezing it gently, 'what has that boy ever done for you except take up your money and time?'

'Garrett cares about me very much,' she spluttered, getting embarrassed and flustered.

'Perhaps,' he allowed, though his eyes betrayed his disbelief, 'but you deserve more than someone just _caring_ about you, Haley, you deserve someone who adores you, who worships the ground you walk on, who sees you for who you are and loves you unconditionally, even for all your flaws. You need someone to tell you how beautiful you are every day and who'll remind you of how precious you are to him, of how much he appreciates and loves you. Someone who won't let you slip away from him but will hold tight and never let you go.'

His voice wavered there and they both knew he was thinking of Haley's mother and his deep regret over what had happened between them. Haley swallowed thickly and blinked back the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes, knowing that it would pain her father too much to see her shed them. Clearing her throat quietly, she picked up his now empty plate and carried it over to the dishwasher.

'Even if I did ever find someone like that, you'd still be threatening the poor guy,' Haley said with a small laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.

'Probably,' Jimmy chuckled, before adding in a serious tone, 'but I wouldn't try and make you break up with him. I might still think and say that he wasn't good enough for you, because that's what fathers do with their daughters, but I would be happy knowing that you had someone who would take care of you and protect you. And I promise you, Hales, if you ever find someone like that, I won't sit around insulting them.'

'Thank you, Daddy,' Haley smiled, going over and kissing her father on the cheek, 'but what if Garrett is that 'someone'?'

Jimmy snorted, 'Trust me, he's not.'

Haley bit back a laugh as she chose not to fight her father on this issue, 'Right, I think it's time we both got some sleep, don't you?'

In answer, Jimmy yawned loudly and then laughed, 'I guess so. Thank you for dinner, Haley.'

'No problem,' she smiled as they started to go up the stairs, 'I'm going to start making you lunch from now on before I go to work. I'll leave it on your desk so there's no way you can forget it.'

'I can make my own lunch,' he protested, 'I've done it before, haven't I?'

'You used to, but you've been slacking recently and I don't want you wasting away on me,' they reached the landing and Jimmy turned to head down to his study but Haley caught his arm and looked at him in reprimand, 'and just where do you think you're going?'

'To my study?' he stated but it came out sounding like a question in the light of her obvious disapproval.

'Oh no you aren't,' Haley shook her head, turning him around and marching him to his bedroom, 'if you go in there you'll be up all night and you won't get any sleep. You're going to go straight to bed and catch up on some sleep.'

'_Haley_, I'm not a child,' Jimmy reminded her gently.

Haley's shoulders slumped a little, and she said quietly, 'I know you aren't, Daddy, but I'm _your_ child and I'm worried about you, so for my sake would you please go to bed now?'

He smiled down at her, 'For you, sweet pea, anything,' he leant down and kissed the top of her head, 'Goodnight, Haley.'

'Goodnight, Daddy, I love you,' she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.

'I love you too, Haley,' he said, hugging her back.

When they released one another, he squeezed her shoulders affectionately before opening the door to his room and going inside. Haley waited until he'd shut his door before heading to the next door along and pushing it open; she changed quickly and went through her night-time routine before collapsing on her bed, wondering just what exactly she was going to do about her father. He hadn't been this forgetful in years, not since he'd been at his very worst when things had hit rock bottom for their family. Before sleep overcame her, Haley told herself that she was going to have to keep an eye on him and make sure he was taking care of himself properly or she would have to resort to drastic measures.

* * *

Brooke sat alone in the silence of her apartment once her call to Haley had ended. She had turned the lights off while she was watching the show and now she couldn't quite find the motivation to stand back up and turn them on again, so instead she let the darkness envelope her and allowed the lights from the busy street below to flit in and out of the room. The lights and bustle of New York were still a little foreign to her even after three and a half years of living there: at heart she was still a small town girl and she was still adjusting to this big new lifestyle. Her heart often ached as she felt it pull her back towards Tree Hill and her friends that were, for all intents and purposes, her sisters. Though she loved New York and was still slightly shocked with how much her life had improved since she had moved there, she knew that her home would always be back in Tree Hill.

When she had first arrived in New York, she had been overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of it all, by how busy and noisy it was and she had stared up at the towering buildings as though they were giants from her childhood storybooks – something that her friends in the city still teased her about. Though she was mostly used to the thrum of the city by now, she still found herself standing in the middle of the street sometimes, staring up at all the buildings and lights in childlike fascination and wonder.

Despite the fact that this was the first time she hadn't been working all week, Brooke still felt unable to rest properly and, before long, she found herself rising from the couch to get her bag and put on her shoes. Within minutes, she had left her apartment and her building and was outside, caught up in the busy throng that swept along the sidewalk. She allowed herself to be pulled along by the human tide, unsure as to where exactly it was that she was headed to so she let her feet carry her while her mind wandered. She had only left the office a few hours ago and so didn't want to return there so quickly, not when she would only be bombarded with work issues as soon as she stepped over the threshold; going to a restaurant or bar alone at a late hour had never really appealed to her and so she saw no need to enter any of the brightly lit venues she encountered along her way. At first, she thought that she might want to go to a park but once she arrived at the gates to the closest one she found that she no longer wanted to enter it.

Instead, she chose a direction at random and continued to wander aimlessly, grateful that she had opted to change into flats before she had left her apartment. She was also thankful that the night kept her in relative darkness and she ducked her head down further to avoid being recognised by anyone. She had the desperate urge sometimes just to blend in with the crowd, to mingle effortlessly in with everyone else as she had been able to do for so much of her life until the events of recent years had made such a feat almost impossible.

Upon graduating from Tree Hill High School, Brooke had decided to go in a different direction from Peyton and Haley, who had both gone on to college and further education; she had been planning her own fashion line for a couple of years and had enough sketches and designs to demonstrate her talent and to interest potential investors. She had spent most of her spare time outside of school working a part-time job so that, when combined with the savings she already had built up over the years, she could save up enough to start her own company. Her father, being a wealthy businessman had, of course, offered to fund the whole venture for her but she had declined, wanting to be able to show everyone that she could stand on her own two feet and achieve everything through her own skills and strength. And, as everyone in Tree Hill knew, when Brooke Davis wanted something and truly put her mind and energy into getting it, there wasn't a force on earth that could stop her. So, naturally, she did exactly what she had set out to do and created Clothes Over Bros, a small boutique in Tree Hill that, after six months, was doing so well that she decided to grow the company.

Her family had an apartment in New York for her father's work trips and, as he had announced that he was having to move there permanently for his job, it seemed the next logical step to Brooke that she would move there with him and her stepmother, Kathy, and open another store there. Originally, the plan was that she would spend a few months each year in New York and the rest of the year running the business from Tree Hill so that she could stay with her friends. However, after the first couple of weeks it became clear that that arrangement would prove near impossible with the rate that the company was growing and becoming increasingly recognised and successful. And so Brooke had had to make the difficult decision to leave Tree Hill for good and focus on her business; the Davis family sold the house that she had grown up with and Brooke started renting her own apartment in New York to gain greater independence from her parents.

In what seemed like no time at all, everyone was wearing Brooke's clothes and she was opening stores nationwide, enabling her to transform the New York branch into the flagship store and to build her office headquarters next-door to it. Brooke soon became as famous as her clothing and designs; due to her trying to keep costs low when she had been starting out, Brooke had posed as a model for most of her clothes and used herself and her friends in most of her advertising. When she had moved to New York, she had held back from using herself in her advertising as much as possible but people had quickly heard about how young and beautiful she was and seen her old posters and somehow she had found herself modelling many of her clothes once more. This was how she had come to be so widely known to the general public and why she so often had to disguise herself when going out. Tonight, she was dressed more casually than normal: she was wearing black skinny jeans and an old, baggy grey jumper with simple dark grey pumps, her hair was tied back and the only makeup she wore was a small amount of mascara. She still looked far more model-like than most people would do in such an outfit and if Peyton and Haley had been with her they would have moaned about her always managing to look effortlessly stylish and attractive in whatever she wore. But they were not there to make such complaints and, though she still looked very pretty, few people would have expected to see the great Brooke Davis wearing such an ordinary outfit, thus she was relatively safe from the threat of being recognised.

Eventually, she reached a small square with a grassy area in the middle of it that was dotted with trees and a few benches; suddenly feeling the fatigue in her legs from her walking, she went over to one of the benches and sat down to rest for a moment. She shut her eyes for a second and let the warm breeze waft over her face. She smelt the faint scent of flowers and it vaguely occurred to her that there must also be some flowerbeds somewhere in the small green. For a second it felt like she was back in Tree Hill, relaxing on the bleachers on the riverside basketball court with her friends while they enjoyed some time away from school and studying. She could almost hear their voices calling out to her, pulling her back towards the past, back home.

'Excuse me? Ma'am?' a voice floated to her lazily, vaguely pressing on her consciousness but not enough for her to register it properly and what it might mean. She mentally brushed it away as she sought to reach further into the image that her mind had recreated for her from her past.

'Ma'am? Can you hear me?' the voice persisted, concern becoming more evident in its tone and Brooke became aware of a pressure on her shoulder.

Frustrated at being pulled from her reverie, she opened her eyes so that she could shoo away whoever it was that was disturbing her peace. She blinked disorientated as she saw that the sky was lighter than when she had shut her eyes; it was not morning yet but the indigo above her was starting to fade into the dark grey-blue haze that signified dawn was not far away. Frowning in confusion, she lifted her head from where she had let it drop onto the back of the bench and winced at the stiffness she felt in her neck.

'Are you alright?' there was that voice again, maybe it would be able to explain to her what was going on.

Brooke turned towards the sound of it and jumped slightly when she saw a young man sitting next to her on the bench, his body angled towards her and his hand still resting on her shoulder. He had wavy mid-brown hair that had become tousled in the wind and flattering stubble that gave him a casual air, his face was handsome but not intimidatingly so – it was open and kind looking. His dark brown eyes seemed to be smiling at her with their warmth and friendliness even as his expression displayed concern. She had no idea why but she felt instantly safe and reassured just by having him near her, which terrified her as her mind told her that he could be there to murder her. Another part of her brain, however, informed her quite calmly to not be so melodramatic and that nobody that good-looking could ever be a murderer and that, had he wanted to kill her, surely he would have just done it whilst she was day-dreaming.

Before she could ask him if he was a serial killer, he spoke again, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to check you were alright.'

He removed his hand from her shoulder swiftly and shuffled back slightly, obviously afraid that he was scaring her, but his eyes remained steadily fixed on her to gauge her reaction. Brooke found herself inexplicably missing his touch and proximity and unconsciously leaned forward before becoming aware of her actions and blushing and averting her gaze from his.

'No, not at all, I just was lost in my own little world and it took me a while to realise there was someone trying to get my attention,' she laughed awkwardly, silently cursing herself for being so spaced out in front of such a ridiculously attractive man, 'sorry it took you so long to get me to work out what was going on.'

He laughed and the rich sound of it drew her in enough to get her to look up at him again, catching the way his eyes were shining in the dim light and the dimples that formed on his cheeks when he smiled, 'That's fine. You looked so peaceful I would have just left you to it but you were so quiet I was starting to get worried you'd stopped breathing. I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance or start doing mouth-to-mouth.'

'Wait, how long was I…absent for?' she frowned, trying to fight the redness that was surging back to her cheeks at the thought of his lips coming anywhere near hers.

''Absent'? You were asleep,' he chuckled, shaking his head slightly so that the parts of his hair that swept over his forehead swayed gently.

'I fell asleep?' Brooke gasped softly, suddenly understanding why the sky was so much lighter, 'I swear it felt like I only shut my eyes for a second…'

'Well, I got here about an hour ago and you were out cold then,' he informed her, a smirk playing around his lips, 'I've been checking up on you every now and then just to make sure you were still there and alright but when it seemed like you hadn't moved in a while, I figured I should come over and make sure I wasn't sharing this square with a corpse.'

Her eyes quickly swept the rest of the green until they fell upon an open book and a brown satchel on the bench next to the one they were sat on that she assumed were his and she gestured to them as she spoke, 'That's very kind of you but you should have been enjoying your book rather than worrying about some stranger passed out on a bench; I could have been some crazy drunk chick, and anyway, your book looks far more interesting than me.'

He shook his head, 'I've seen crazy drunk chicks passed out in random places before and you looked far too together and vomit-free to be one of them, believe me. And I couldn't really concentrate on my book.'

'Oh, why's that?' Brooke asked, tucking one leg under her and turning more towards him, then propping one arm up on the back of the bench and resting her head on her hand.

Now it was his turn to flush faintly and look at the ground, 'Well, I had to keep looking up from it to make sure this woman who was sitting on my usual bench was still there and that she hadn't woken up and left, because I really wanted to talk to her.'

'Why?' she whispered, leaning closer to him again.

'Because even though you were asleep, you were, _are_, still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,' he glanced up at her through his eyelashes and gave her a shy grin that made her knees feel like someone had replaced them with jelly.

She was so unprepared for the compliment that she snorted softly, 'Please, my friends have taken photos of me while I've been asleep and I _know_ I look like a mess: my mouth hangs open and my hair gets all messed up, I-'

The light touch of his fingers on hers cut her short, 'You looked perfect. You still do, in fact, and if it wasn't for the fact that I have a flight in a couple of hours, I would be asking you out to dinner right now.'

Brooke stared down at their fingers that were barely touching, trying not to think about how right the image looked, 'So you're from out of town then?'

'No, I'm a New Yorker, born and raised,' he told her, 'but I've got to go away for a while and I'm not sure exactly when I'm going to be back.'

Brooke fought down the inexplicable disappointment rising up within her as she tried to say in an aloof voice, 'It's okay to say you don't like me in that way, you know, you don't have to make up some excuse to save my feelings.'

She winced as she heard the words coming out in a small, hurt voice when she had wanted it to sound passive and reserved. Instantly, she felt his hand tighten around hers so that it was holding hers properly.

'I promise you I meant what I said. I'm not selling you some line, I wouldn't do that. I know we only just met but you have to believe me: I want to be selfish and ask you to wait until I come back but I don't know how long that'll be and I know that it's not fair to you. But I mean it: you're beautiful and I would really love to get to know you better,' he said so earnestly that she couldn't help but believe him.

'Okay, I believe you,' she whispered, closing her eyes and berating herself mentally as she questioned what on earth had gotten into her.

'Good,' he smiled widely and it lit up his whole face, before taking a deep breath, 'look, I really do have to go now or I'm going to miss my flight, and I know I have no right whatsoever to ask this, but…would you wait for me so we can have that dinner?'

Without even thinking she gave him an answering smile that left him dazzled, 'Sure. I'm Brooke, by the way.'

'Hi, Brooke. I'm Julian, Julian Baker,' he grinned at her, shaking the hand he was already holding in greeting.

'Hi, Julian, it was nice meeting you,' she squeezed his hand in return and slipped on of her business cards into his palm, 'I hope you have a safe flight and be sure to look me up when you're in town next.'

He opened up his hand and stared in shock at the name on the card for a second, 'Wait, Brooke as in _the_ Brooke Davis?' She nodded and he shook his head in disbelief, 'I can't believe it, of all the women in New York I have to go and hit on one of the most famous fashion designers in the country; I can't believe I didn't recognise you, I'm such an idiot! I'm so sorry, you must get this all the time and you probably just think I'm such a creep now, so I'm gonna go and die of embarrassment. Bye.'

He got up and began to head towards his things to pick them up, muttering curses under his breath at himself but Brooke leapt up and caught his arm to stop him. Reluctantly, he turned around but refused to meet her gaze, even when she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

'At the risk of sounding egotistical, which I promise you is not my intention, yes I do get hit on by random guys a lot. It kind of comes with the territory of doing the occasional bit of modelling, I guess, but believe me when I say that I don't enjoy it and I'm not the kind of girl to lead on guys just because I happen to be famous. When I say no to someone I mean it, but I also mean it when I say yes, and the same goes for what I said just now. I _would_ love to go for dinner with you when you get back into town but if you say it's going to be a long time then I'll understand if you forget about me in the meantime or if it just never happens. From the sound of it, we're both busy people who don't have time to be starting something new when it's going to be tricky and long distance, so how about we just leave it until you get back and, if you're still interested, then you ring up that number and you ask me out on that dinner, okay?'

'Okay,' Julian smiled, 'honestly, I'd be willing to start from now but I get where you're coming from and I don't want to risk losing out on whatever this might become just because the timing wasn't right. But I won't forget and I _will_ call you, so don't you forget, alright?'

Brooke nodded, 'Not for a second.'

'Good,' he sighed with relief, 'goodbye for now, Brooke Davis.'

'See you soon, Julian Baker,' she said, pushing herself onto her tiptoes and brushing her lips quickly across his cheek.

There was a part of her that very much wanted to kiss him properly but she reminded herself that they'd only just met and that this thing that had sparked so quickly one dawn in a small New York square would probably go nowhere so there was no point in making herself appear easy. '_What would Haley do?_' she asked herself, and that was enough to get her to lower herself back to the ground and remove her hand from his shoulder. Julian beamed at her and his fingers briefly touched the spot she'd just kissed before he dropped them to squeeze hers again for a second.

And then, he was gone. He picked up his bag and book from the nearby bench and, with a wave, left the square and Brooke to stand alone in the gathering light of the now rapidly approaching dawn. It had all happened so quickly she had to wonder as she began to walk back home if it had all been part of her dream. Regardless, she felt as though she was floating along the streets back to her apartment, and she had to keep telling herself that he would probably forget about her as soon as he was on his plane, if there was actually a plane at all and it wasn't all just a cunning ruse to make a half-asleep fashion designer appear foolish.

Before she could overanalyse their whole exchange, however, her phone rang and she dug it out from her purse, feeling her hopes rise as she thought that it might be Julian calling her already despite what they had both said in agreeing to leave it for the moment, as she had given him a card with her personal mobile number on. Checking the caller ID before she answered, she cursed herself inwardly for being disappointed when she saw Kathy's name flashing up on the screen.

'Hi, Kathy,' she tried to keep the tiredness that was finally catching up with her from sounding in her voice as she answered the call.

'Brooke, darling, have you seen the cover of this month's _Mirror_?' Kathy's voice came from the other end of the line.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Brooke yawned before saying, 'No, I'm just coming back from a late night walk. I really just want to go to bed, can't it wait until I've had some sleep?'

She heard her stepmother sigh in exasperation and she knew she was probably silently questioning her sanity based on her choice of night time activity, 'Just pick up a copy on your way home, alright? Go get some sleep, darling, you're going to need it! Oh, and congratulations!'

And without any further explanation, Kathy hung up, leaving Brooke confused. She shrugged it off until she reached the newspaper vendor just outside her building that was setting up his stand to be ready for the early bird commuters. It was then that she saw what Kathy had been talking about.

On the glossy front cover of the top fashion magazine _Mirror_, was her own face staring back at her, albeit covered in makeup and heavily photoshopped. Above it in a blood red was the headline: '_Brooke Davis: The Fairest of Them All_'.

* * *

**A/N: So I think from that it's probably fairly obvious which fairytales Peyton and Brooke's storylines are going to be based on, maybe not so much Haley's one currently but probably loads of people will have been able to figure that out too. I'm used to writing Leyton-centric fics but I'm trying to give equal amounts of time for each of the three girls and the three couples when we get to them being introduced properly, but that attention might be spread over different chapters depending on where we are in the plot so please don't think that I'm forgetting about anyone or neglecting a couple or character because I'm going to try my hardest to focus on all of them. Hopefully I'll be able to have the next chapter up in about the same time as it took me to do this one, just depends on how much work wears me out! Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Awards, Connections and Helping Hands

**A/N: Again, thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, favourited or followed this story - you're all amazing! **

* * *

Peyton whirled around at the sound of her name being called out and saw a small figure standing awkwardly down the landing, framed in a soft glow of the light coming from the open door behind her. The wild golden curls that were distinguishable even from her current distance and in the low light were unmistakable for Peyton and a smile instantly graced her lips.

'Hey, button,' she said quietly as she took her foot off the stairs and began to walk towards the figure, 'what are you doing out of bed? You should be asleep right now.'

'I _was_ sleeping,' the small voice insisted, 'well, that is, I _was_ meant to be waiting up for you to come home but then I got sleepy and I guess I kinda drifted off.'

'Good thing too, you know you're not meant to wait up for me, especially not on a school night,' Peyton chastised gently, 'you'll be too tired for all your lessons tomorrow.'

'I won't,' protested the figure, 'and I _wanted_ to wait up for you.'

Peyton came to a stop in front of the person now and, in the light provided through the open door nearby, she could now clearly make out the face of her little sister looking up at her with big brown eyes. She too had inherited the famous Sawyer blonde curls that had set Peyton apart when she had been growing up and now they were used to easily identify the two of them as being related. However, while they did look rather similar, Peyton was an exact copy of her mother, while Elise took more after her father.

'And what was _so_ incredibly important that you just _had_ to wait up for me, huh?' Peyton teased, holding back a smile.

'_The Scott Life_, duh!' Elise replied sassily but with a wide grin lighting up her face.

'Hey, less of that lip, missy! I've still got a couple more years of you being all sweet and nice before the dreaded teenage angst starts and I'd like to hold that off for as long as possible, thank you,' Peyton chuckled.

In response, the younger girl simply threw herself forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her big sister's waist and mumbled into her stomach, 'I've missed you, Peyt.'

Peyton's arms moved instinctively to hold Elise as she was so used to doing now that it had become as natural as breathing to her, 'I missed you too, button.'

She dropped a kiss on to the top of Elise's head before releasing her into a side-hug so that she could usher her back into her bedroom. She shut the door behind them and then pushed her sister gently towards the bed.

'Thought it'd be best if we continued this conversation inside,' she explained as Elise climbed onto the bed and tucked herself under the covers. Peyton flopped down onto the bed next to her.

'Of course, we wouldn't want to wake the beasts,' Elise said, giggling.

Peyton laughed, 'No, or they might come out and eat you all up!'

She started to tickle Elise and pinch at her playfully to mime her being eaten by a monster, causing Elise to have to stick her fist into her mouth so that she could keep her laughter as quiet as possible.

'Not fair!' she gasped in between giggles once Peyton had finished attacking her, 'You know I'm really ticklish!'

'Well serves you right for speaking that way about our great and noble matriarch,' she said, using an exaggeratedly posh voice.

'What's a 'matriarch'?' Elise frowned once she'd got over her laughter fit.

'A woman who's the head of the family, or in our case a pain in the ass that we have to put up with 'cause our dad married her,' Peyton explained.

'I think I prefer 'pain in the ass',' Elise grinned.

'Hmm yeah, it is more fitting, isn't it?' Peyton mused, 'But you'd better not let her catch you calling her that or you'll be in for a heap of trouble.'

'So? You're in trouble with her all the time,' Elise pointed out.

Peyton's face grew serious as she looked at her baby sister, 'Yes, but that's different. I get into trouble with Claudia and stand up to her so that you won't have to. You need to do as I asked you to and stay as much away from her as possible, okay?'

'But I want to stand up to her too,' Elise protested, her small face becoming alight with defiance, 'I hate it when she's mean to you.'

'I know you do, button,' Peyton sighed and reached out to touch her hand, 'but I can handle it, believe me. If I really wanted to, I could flatten her in an instant, both physically and verbally but that wouldn't help either of us. We're stuck with her and so I'd rather she was just taking it out on me rather than both of us. I know it's hard and I know she's an evil witch, but you can't let her get to you. Promise me you won't try and stick up to her or do anything reckless?' She could see the fire in her little sister's eyes and the same stubbornness that she knew she had too and it scared her, 'Elise Madeleine Sawyer, you promise me right now that you'll stay away from her and that you won't provoke her or make her mad in anyway.'

The tone of her voice and the look on her face must have told Elise that she meant business, so the younger girl sighed and rolled her eyes, 'Fine! I promise I won't. But she deserves it.'

Peyton's face softened and she smiled, 'Yes, she does, button, and I promise you one day she'll get what she deserves and we'll both bring her and her two cronies down a peg or two, but that day isn't yet. So you have to be a good girl and lie low and wait until then, okay? And until then, let me handle the monster, got it?'

'Okay, how do we have to wait until 'one day'?' Elise asked, looking hopeful that her older sister was going to say it was next week.

''Til you're eighteen,' she replied, bracing herself for the inevitable tantrum.

'But that's seven years away, Peyton!' Elise hissed angrily, having to remind herself not to yell.

'I know, but I've been having to wait since Dad married her when you were one, so believe me, you can't argue with me about how unfair or long that is because I already know,' she said tiredly.

'How on earth have you put up with it for that long?' Elise marvelled, looking up at Peyton with fresh awe; her big sister had always been a role model and her hero but this information just made her revere her even more.

'I had to: for the first six years, it was because she was my legal guardian and I was too young to leave and I could hardly abandon you to face her alone. And then, when I was eighteen, there was just _you_ and, even though I was legally old enough to move out and get away, nothing had changed. I still had to stay for you,' Peyton explained, squeezing her sister's small hand.

'You could have left, I would have been fine,' she insisted, trying to make herself seem taller.

'You were _seven_ years old, button,' Peyton smiled sadly, 'I could barely cope with her when she first came and I was twelve. What kind of big sister would I have been if I'd left you knowing what she was like?'

'I would have understood,' Elise said quietly, but Peyton could already see from her expression that she was imagining that life without her and seeing that she would have ended up resenting her for it.

'It would have broken your heart _and_ mine. And I could no more do that then I could stop the rain from falling. I didn't stay because I strictly _had_ to, I stayed because I wanted to. I could never leave you, Elise: I love you far too much for that, and that's why I said that I 'had' to stay, because leaving you was _never_ an option.'

Elise hastily wiped away a tear from her cheek before whispering, 'I love you too, Peyton. And even though Claudia's horrible to you and I wish I could make her stop, I'm glad you stayed.'

'I'm glad too,' Peyton smiled, 'I wouldn't trade watching you grow up for the world. Besides, we're partners in crime, right?'

'Right,' Elise nodded, 'the best in the business.'

'Too right,' she grinned, 'now chin up, button, one tear from you is one tear too many. What was it that you wanted to speak to me about _The Scott Life_?'

Elise matched her sister's grin as she saw that she was trying to cheer her up and distract her, 'Um…only that the Scott brothers are coming back to Tree Hill! Isn't it the most amazing new _ever_?'

Peyton laughed fondly as she watched Elise's eyes sparkle with joy and the tone of her voice get more and more excited, 'Yeah it _is_ pretty cool, huh?'

'Do you think they're as handsome as they are on TV and in the magazines?' gushed Elise.

'It's hard to tell but, yes, probably – they _were_ pretty good-looking when they were living here before. And anyway, you can't think anyone's handsome – you're not allowed to have a boyfriend until you're eighty, remember?' Peyton said, poking her in the arm teasingly.

'_Peyton_!' Elise blushed and rolled her eyes, 'I'm not a baby anymore!'

'You'll always be my baby sister,' she reminded her, ruffling her hair, 'anyway, Lucas has got a fiancé.'

'_So_? Doesn't stop him from being handsome,' Elise pointed out with a grin, 'and anyway, he doesn't love her, not really.'

'Oh? And who made you the love expert?' Peyton smirked amusedly.

'No one,' Elise shrugged you can just tell that he doesn't really want to be around her that much and he doesn't look at her like Keith and Karen look at each other.'

Peyton held back a laugh as she thought about how wise and grown up her sister was starting to sound and decided to change topic, 'Do you remember them from when they lived here?'

Elise frowned in concentration, 'Not really, they weren't around very much, were they?'

'No, they weren't and we probably won't see very much of them this time around either,' she said, trying to manage her sister's hopes and expectations so that she wasn't disappointed, 'they'll probably spend most of their time in their big house and only come out with a massive crowd of security around them.'

'It'll still be really great having them here,' Elise bounced up and down excitedly, 'I bet they have really shiny cars and expensive suits.'

Peyton laughed, 'Probably. And they probably smell like money.'

Elise giggled before squeaking, 'I can't wait for them to get here! When do you think they'll arrive?'

'Hopefully not too soon,' Peyton muttered, suddenly remembering all the work she had to do before they came.

'Why not?' Elise asked with a frown.

'Never mind why, you need to get some sleep, button,' Peyton said quickly, dismissing her sister's concern.

'No, Peyton, you have to tell me why you don't want them to come yet,' Elise insisted, jutting out her bottom lip to show that she wasn't going to budge on this, and when Peyton looked away from her sadly, she said, 'it's because of _her_, isn't it? What's she making you do this time?'

Peyton looked back at her and, seeing from the determined look on her face that she wasn't going to be able to get her to go to sleep unless she told her the truth, she sighed and said, 'She's making me sort out the outside of the house so that it looks 'presentable' for when they come. But she's not letting me off any of my other chores so it's going to take twice as long and I'm going to have to get up extra early to have it finished in time.'

'That's not fair; the outside of the house is a mess – it'll take ages to sort it all out!' Elise cried.

'Yeah, you're telling me,' Peyton mumbled under her breath but Elise heard it anyway, 'look, this isn't for you to worry about. I'll find a way to get it all done, okay?'

'No, I want to help,' Elise shook her head stubbornly, 'and don't tell me that I can't because I'll do it anyway. It'll take too long on your own and then you'll get in trouble,' she paused to see Peyton desperately trying to think of a way to talk her out of it, so she put on her best 'puppy-dog' face and begged, '_please_ let me help, Peyt. C'mon, please!'

Peyton looked at her sister's sweet, pleading face and knew she was done for, 'Fine! You can help me, but not any of the heavy stuff and I want you to do all your homework first, okay?'

'Yep, got it! I'll do all the housework so you can focus on the outside,' she beamed, but seeing Peyton about to object, 'and don't even think about arguing with me, 'cause you said I could help and this is how I'm gonna do it.'

Peyton chuckled at her stubborn expression, 'Alright, deal. But once I've finished cleaning up the outside of the house, I'll go back to doing the housework. You're too stubborn like me for your own good, you know that, right?'

'Good, I wanna be just like you,' Elise said proudly and Peyton felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes.

'Well I certainly don't! There's already one of me and I cause enough problems on my own without having another one of me, so you can be you and I can be me and together we'll take on the world,' she grinned.

'Sounds like a plan,' Elise grinned in return before yawning loudly.

'Okay, it's definitely bedtime now, missy; no arguments,' she chuckled, pushing Elise's shoulders back gently until she was lying down.

'Alright, I'll see you in the morning, chicken,' Elise smiled up at her sleepily, her eyes already fighting to stay open, 'goodnight.'

''Night, button,' Peyton said, kissing her forehead and making sure the duvet was tucked in enough around her smaller form, 'sweet dreams.'

She slipped off the bed and started to head towards the door, sure that her sister was probably already fast asleep. Just as she reached the doorway, however, she heard Elise calling out to her in a small voice and she turned back to her.

'Yes, button?'

'Things are going to get better for us now the Scotts are coming, I can feel it,' she mumbled before the room was filled with the sound of her gentle breathing and Peyton left her to her dreams of a better life.

**XxX**

Brooke stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom as she lay on the king-size bed that sat in the centre of the room. The soft covers were drawn up to her chin and she had swaddled herself in them to gain the sensation of being cocooned and secure. The floor-length curtains that ran the length of the left side of the room were drawn shut to block out the midday light and the darkness in which she lay gave the impression that it was midnight rather than noon. The copy of _Mirror_ that she had bought early that morning before she had stumbled into her bed and sunken into her dreams lay on the bedside table next to her as a reminder that the outside world was probably trying to reach her, being kept at bay only by her attempts to ignore it.

Finally acknowledging that she would have to start paying attention to what was going on around her, she sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Even though she had now slept for a good few hours, she felt almost as exhausted as she had done when she'd gone to bed. She wondered when it was that she'd become unable to cope with late nights and lack of sleep; when she'd first arrived in New York and made a big name for herself, everyone had invited her to any party that was going on and, anxious to get her name out there and make new friends, she had attended them all. For the first three years or so, she had been out until all hours of the morning and had gone to work straight away without having had any sleep and not felt tired at all. But in the last few months, she had begun to feel drained by it all and homesick for the relaxed, informal gatherings that had typified her adolescence rather than the flashy, crowded parties where everyone was always trying to outdo one another in terms of dress, accessories, hairstyles, who could stay up the longest – anything that could be bragged about would be. Now, she had to force herself into going along and she found the conversations she had with people tedious, repetitive and overwhelmingly fake. Of course, she he did have real friends in the city, but she had learned quickly that many of the people she'd thought were nice and genuine would all too happily stab her in the back or bitch about her when she wasn't present. She just found that she no longer had the energy or the will to pretend that she was enjoying herself when she wasn't, or that she liked people when she didn't.

All she really wanted was to meet some people that were honest and open with her and who didn't care about what her name meant or what they could get from her; the number of friends she had like that here she could count on two hands. That was why she had so instantly taken to Julian: she could tell just from that brief encounter with him that he truly hadn't known who she was but had liked her for herself, not for her public persona. Meetings with people like that were few and far between in the circles she moved in. So, she had taken to staying away from clubs and parties and finding things to do on her own; for publicity's sake, she still attended the occasional party and, of course, she went to a lot of charity events, but she often found herself leaving early and slipping away to spend some time alone. She was only twenty-two but she could already feel herself pulling away from the party lifestyle that so many of her famous peers lived; at the end of it all, though she saw it as a survival technique. Even in the relatively brief amount of time she had been in the elite circle of New York, she had seen far too many young people crash and burn spectacularly and wake up to find that the people they had thought to be their friends and fans turn their backs on them the moment the press swooped in like vultures. Brooke had realised recently that if she continued to live as she had been then, eventually, she would end up like that and she had worked far too hard for far too long to have all her efforts be wasted on a few nights of recklessness.

Reaching for her phone, Brooke mentally prepared herself for what seemed like her first contact with the outside world in months as opposed to the few hours it actually was. She was greeted by a screen full of notifications of dozens of missed calls and unread text messages; sighing, she began to scroll through them absently until she came to two that were from Haley and Peyton. She opened the one from Haley first and smiled as she read it:

_'Hey, I just saw the front page of _Mirror_, congratulations! You definitely deserve it and I'm so proud of you! I know you're going to be even more busy now because everyone's going to want to speak to you but I hope you still have a bit of time spare at some point so we can chat about this properly later. Enjoy your moment, B, and let us know what the ceremony is like (even though you know we'll be watching on TV!). Love you loads, H x'._

Brooke quickly tapped out a reply to thank her and promised her that they would talk later that day hopefully before moving on to read Peyton's message:

'_B Davis! You finally did it! I remember us talking about this being your dream years ago and how you doubted it would ever happen – and now look: it's a dream come true! I can't say I'm entirely surprised – I always knew you were going to make it happen – you always do – but that doesn't make me any less proud of you. Seriously, well done, Brooke; you worked so hard for this. I tried to call you and tell you all this in person but when I couldn't get hold of you (probably because the world and its mother will be after you now) I figured this was better than nothing. Call me when you're able to though, I think we need to have a massive squeal fest over this. Love you, sweetie, P x_'.

After replying to her as well, Brooke did the same to all the other well-wishers who had contacted her, feeling her chest swell with greater happiness and pride every time she read a new message. The fullness of her achievement was just beginning to dawn upon her as she had been too tired to appreciate it earlier. She briefly scanned through her list of missed calls to check that there was no one she needed to urgently call back but they were mostly from people who had messaged her as well and a couple were from her agent and the office.

Before she rang anyone back or spoke to any of form of media, however, she figured that she should probably read what _Mirror_ had to say about her so that she could address everyone's excitement properly. She reached out and picked up the magazine, taking a moment to shake her head at how heavily her face and figure had been edited, before flipping through the silky pages to reach the section she wanted. The piece in question was a five page special spread dedicated to the winners of the Fairest of Them All awards, or the Fairest awards as they were more commonly called.

_Mirror_ was the world's best and most prestigious culture magazine that featured everything to do with art, film, theatre, music, dance, literature and fashion; each year, its chief editors and a panel of judges would choose the top 40 women in the world who they felt had achieved and contributed the most to each of the previously mentioned fields. For each of the seven categories, there would be a winner, or the Fairest, and there would be one woman in particular who would be named the Fairest of Them All (FOTA), who it was felt had distinguished herself most in that year. Simply to appear within the top forty was an honour enough, to win a category was a near impossible feat but to be named the overall winner was a coveted distinction that most women only dreamed of. Any of these would boost a woman's career significantly but most people working in any form of culture never came anywhere close to being mentioned on the list. Each year, an awards ceremony would be hosted by _Mirror_ where all the women who had made it onto that year's list would be honoured and celebrated and where awards would be given to all the winners. _Mirror_'s Charming awards – the male equivalent of the Fairest awards – were also celebrated at the same event and so the top forty men in culture, along with the top forty women, would be joined by other members of the social and cultural elite in the event of the year. The positioning on the chart was always kept top secret until its publication in the August edition of the magazine so that it was a genuine surprise for those included on it, and the awards ceremony was held a week later to give everyone enough time to prepare for it.

It had been a pleasant shock when, in her first year of business, Brooke had placed thirty-fifth on the list, then the next year she had made it to the twenty-first position, and the year before she had managed to climb her way to tenth place. Usually, it took years for people to make it onto the list, then even longer to move up it and for someone as young as herself to win it overall was unheard of. Brooke considered herself fortunate that, at the time she had been starting out in the fashion business, there had been a big push for the judges to do a better job of recognising and celebrating new, young talent to encourage more young people to enter the field. Though she had worked exceptionally hard and achieved a phenomenal amount in her first year which had contributed to her place in the awards, she had no doubt that without that new focus she would have not made it onto the list as quickly as she had. It was something that she was incredibly grateful for as it had done wonders for her as an emerging designer and business owner. However, for her to win the FOTA award in such a short amount of time seemed completely out of the blue to her, even after her rapid ascent up the chart, so she was curious to read why she had been chosen for such an honour.

Brooke flipped to the last page of the feature on the awards and saw her own face pouting up at her from one of her modelling shots but before she could read the piece that had been written about her, her eyes were drawn to the face beneath hers. It was the winner of the fashion category: it was her stepmother, Kathy. The article dedicated to her achievement read as follows:

**_Katherine Davis-Powell:_**_ After having reigned supreme as _Mirror_'s FOTA for five consecutive years now, Kathy's stay at the top as Queen of Culture has finally been brought to an end. She is replaced by her very fair step-daughter, Brooke Davis, who we are sure will prove a worthy successor if her recent work is anything to go by. However, Kathy remains in our hearts and minds as Fairest in Fashion, an area in which she never fails to excel. Her Majesty – her company – has provided us with some of this year's most iconic designs: who could forget the First Lady's appearance in that incredible sheath dress as she was welcoming the French President in April? Or the line of baby hats that so many of our favourite celebrities' children were seen in this winter? The real reason she has won this category, however, has to be HM's range of cloaks that appeared earlier this year and that have taken the fashion world by storm. Kathy always delivers in style and quality and this year has been no different. Congratulations, Kathy, and thank you for the cloaks._

Brooke sighed after she'd finished reading it: sure, it was a complimentary enough review and most people would be delighted with such comments but it was a far cry from the gushing pieces that Kathy had been used to receiving ever since she first appeared on the list fifteen years ago. She knew that her stepmother would be far from happy with such a relegation and she cringed internally at the thought that it was her who had caused this demotion and lapse in favour. Kathy had been the fashion world's darling ever since she started modelling at the age of seventeen and when she started her own clothing company seven years later, people flocked to buy her designs. It was then that she was featured on the Fairest list and she had been gradually climbing it ever since, until her five year stint at the top of it had marked the peak of her career. She was so universally loved, and with many friends working at the top of _Mirror_, that people had begun to wonder if she would ever be toppled from her perch.

Flicking her eyes upwards, she went on to read the piece written about her:

**_Brooke Davis:_**_ And so it is with great pride and excitement that _Mirror_ announces the winner of this year's FOTA award: the one and only Miss Brooke Davis. If anyone was going to be able to take Kathy's place at the top, it was going to be Brooke. We have watched this bright, beautiful and incredibly talented young star shoot to fame over the last four years as she has gone from glory to glory, creating fashion masterpiece after fashion masterpiece. We here at _Mirror _cannot say enough in this woman's favour; in our eyes she really can do no wrong. Her designs are effortlessly classy and elegant and always give people what they desire without them knowing that they wanted it in the first place. Not only is she a top business owner and fashion designer, Brooke is also a model and philanthropist. Indeed, on top of all her other charity work, Miss Davis recently sent over crate-loads of clothes, food and other supplies to overseas flood victims, specially designing and making the clothes to be durable, water-resistant and to adapt to whatever temperature the wearer was experiencing at the time for their maximum comfort and protection. It is this concern for the welfare of others, alongside her natural business acumen, talent and passion, which sets Brooke apart from the many other designers, company owners and models in the modern fashion business. For us, Brooke Davis truly is the Fairest of Them All._

Brooke sat stunned for a few minutes after having read the article several more times just to ensure that she had taken it all in correctly. Though she was completely delighted with what had been written about her, as was only natural, she could not help but cringe as her thoughts were constantly drawn back to Kathy and the obvious comparison that _Mirror_ was drawing between her and her stepmother in placing the two pieces next to one another. To most people reading it, both sets would seem to be very complimentary of the winners, though of course the FOTA winner's was always going to be more extravagant in its praise as it was the higher award. However, Brooke had been reading Kathy's write-ups in these awards pages ever since she had become her stepmother eight years ago and they had all been nothing short of literary monuments to her greatness. In comparison, this year's piece might have been written about any of the women who had made it into the top forty, and it certainly did not come close to what had been written about the other category winners. Under the surface and with their references to Brooke managing to 'dethrone' Kathy as the FOTA winner, _Mirror_ was letting everyone know that Kathy was being phased out and that her stepdaughter was now the important one. Within a couple of years it was highly doubtful that Kathy would even appear in the top forty, thus marking the end of her glory days and, potentially, her whole career too.

As she sat taking that in and feeling sick to her stomach, there came a knock at the apartment door and Brooke froze. It was gone midday and she was still in bed in her pyjamas; if it was the press come to interview her she would have to pretend she wasn't in. If it was one of her employees trying to find her so that she could be forced to parade in front of the cameras and make press releases then she wasn't mentally or physically ready to face it all yet. Before she could go through a list of all her possible hiding places, the knock came again, this time accompanied by a voice.

'Brooke, darling, it's me – Kathy,' called Kathy from the other side of the door, 'open up, we have a lot to discuss.'

**XxX**

Haley hauled the last of the books from the now empty crate and sighed in relief once she'd placed it onto the shelf in front of her. She picked up the box and carried it back to her desk, grateful that she had at last finished unpacking the newest shipment of books that had arrived that day. She had now spent all her morning sorting, adding onto the database, labelling and finding all the books a place on the already crammed shelves. No matter how tiring or time-consuming the task was though, she was happy that now the people who came into the building would have new books to read and choose from.

Upon graduating from the University of North Carolina two months ago, Haley had officially taken over the family bookshop from her father, as she could see that he was no longer fit to run it. She had been basically running it and managing it on her own ever since she left high school but as she'd had to balance working there part-time and completing her studies, Jimmy had had to continue to be in charge of the shop while she was otherwise unable to be. In her third year of college Haley and Jimmy had been able to extend the shop a little bit to make room for a small library to be added onto it so that people could sit and just read the books or study as well as browsing and buying the books. The addition of the library had cost her all of her hard-earned savings that she had scraped together by working her way through high school and college, as well as most of her father's, but the difference it had made to the small Tree Hill community had meant that she couldn't regret it and thought it was worth every penny. However, she still had dreams of being able to enlarge it even further so more people could benefit from it.

The shop section of the building, having been in the James family for several generations now, was aging but still held so much of the charm and appeal of an old-fashioned bookshop with wooden shelves and creaky floorboards that she hadn't had the heart – or the money - to change it when she'd added the library. Sure, she'd cleaned the place from top to bottom and made sure it was all fixed up and secure but she hadn't wanted to change the look or feel that the shop had built up over the years and so she'd left it looking like its original late 1800s self. Under her father's leadership, it had become a little rundown and neglected, though not due to a lack of love or care for shop on his part – he loved the shop just as much as Haley did – but because he simply hadn't been able to cope with running it when he was dealing with personal troubles at the time. So Haley, seeing his struggle, had taken the responsibility off his hands without making him feel useless and had got it back to its former glory. The library, however, was obviously new and the extension had a more modern feel to it, though Haley had designed it to still look slightly but stylishly older in order to fit in with the look of the shop that it was connected to by a wide archway.

Every day, the library would be crowded full of students studying and doing their homework, parents reading to their children and people just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere and the books. Haley had a couple of other people working there to help her run the place and every day after school had finished, she would run a tutoring service for a couple of hours to help struggling pupils with their work. She had always loved learning and helping others to discover new things, so her job was perfect for her and she genuinely looked forward to going to work every morning to see who she could help find the perfect book for them or to watch a child learning to read its first few words. Of course, it helped as well that the building was next-door to Karen's Café where Peyton worked most days of the week and so they would always have their lunch breaks together sitting in the café and chatting about their days. When Brooke had still been in town, all three of them had sat at their table which they sat at every day and shared their problems, hopes and dreams over food. Peyton and Haley still sat at that same table, always leaving Brooke's chair free just in case she might walk in any second and want it. Haley's customers also benefitted from the café's proximity and often went in for study breaks or to grab a cup of coffee in between books, so much so that the two establishments had set up a loyalty card scheme. If someone borrowed or bought ten books from the shop or library, they would get a free drink and meal from the café; and if someone bought ten drinks or meals from the café then they would be able to borrow a book for free or buy one at half price.

At that moment, Haley was half an twenty minutes away from her lunch break and was trying to distract herself from thinking about her hunger by printing off information about all of the newly arrived books to put into the filing system so that there would be paper copies of them as well as an electronic one on the computer database. A small chime rang out to announce the arrival of a new customer in the bookshop and she looked up to greet whoever it was.

'Garrett!' Haley gasped in happy surprise as she saw her boyfriend walking towards her, 'What are you doing here?'

'Well hello to you too,' he laughed, it was a deep, booming noise that reverberated around the shop.

Garrett had shoulder-length black hair that was tied up into a knot at the base of his neck, pale blue eyes and cheekbones and a jaw-line that made most of the girls in Tree Hill go crazy. He worked at the town gym as a personal fitness trainer and so had a very muscular build, which was another thing that made him so popular with the town's female population. Haley never quite understood why he had chosen her when he'd had so many other girls who would kill to have him so much as look at them, but she knew that she was very fortunate to have him.

Haley smiled and crinkled up her nose, 'You know what I mean – you're usually working now.'

'I know, and I have to head back there in a second but I took my break early so that I could come and see my girlfriend for a couple of minutes, if that's alright?' he came and leant on Haley's desk, looking at the various piles of paper that she had stacked on it ready to be filed.

'Of course it's alright, I'll just take my lunch break a bit later than usual,' she said, stepping out from behind the desk so she could stand in front of him without any physical barriers, 'did you come here for any particular reason, or just to catch up?'

'Oh, you know, just so I could do this,' he grinned, reaching out and placing a firm kiss onto her lips.

Haley pulled away after a couple of seconds, feeling as though her lips had been bruised from their encounter with his, and not in the good way that came from a long, passionate make-out session, but like they had been fighting and he had just won by kissing harder. She fixed a smile onto her face anyway, not wanting to hurt his feelings, 'Well thank you for feeling the need to come and see me for that.'

He shrugged as he put his hands on her waist, 'I do my best. So, did you see the news this morning?'

'No, I missed it,' Haley shook her head, leaving out the part about her having to make her father lunch as she knew that Garrett would only question why she was taking care of a grown man – he didn't understand her father like she did and saw his reclusiveness as a sign of weakness – and she didn't feel like having that argument with him today, 'why?'

'Dan Scott announced that Lucas and Nathan would be here by the end of the week,' Garrett told her.

'But that's only three days away,' Haley frowned, 'it doesn't exactly give people a lot of time to get ready for them.'

'Well, they're celebrities, they can do whatever they want,' he said matter-of-factly.

'Yes, but that doesn't make it fair for the rest of us,' Haley pointed out.

'Don't stress about it so much, it probably won't affect you at all,' he dismissed her concerns.

'It affects Peyton and so of course it's going to affect me,' she frowned, stepping away from him.

'Peyton's problems are hers, not yours. I don't know why you feel the need to get so involved in her life, Haley,' Garrett stated in a critical tone.

'How about because she's one of my best friends, Garrett? Peyton's practically family and families are meant to help each other out. When Peyton or Brooke get upset, I hurt for them – it what best friends do,' Haley said, forcing herself not to raise her voice and to keep the anger she could feel brewing inside her down, 'I know that you have a different approach to people and your friends from me and that you think people should be able to take care of themselves, but I'm not like that and I'd like for you to respect that.'

'Sure, sure,' he said, his voice sounding bored and detached as though she was talking about her grocery list for that week, before he moved forward to take hold of her hips again, 'look, I actually came here to ask you if you could speak to Karen or Keith for me.'

Haley's eyes narrowed slightly, 'Why?'

'Well you know them from their Tree Hill days, right? And you were friendly with Lucas when he was here, so I was hoping you could put in a good word for me with the family. You know, talk me up a bit and maybe suggest that they could use my services as a personal trainer. Being on TV with them when they come here could do really big things for the business,' he explained.

'So you did come here for a reason,' she muttered under her breath, trying her best not to focus on the hurt that thought caused her, and then she said louder for him to hear, 'I don't know if I can, Garrett. I mean, I haven't spoken to any of them really since they left and they probably already have their own personal trainers.'

Garrett instantly stepped back from her like she'd burnt him and fixed her with a cold look, 'Oh I see how it is. You don't think I'm good enough for them, that I'll embarrass you if I spend any time around them. I thought I could at least count on my _girlfriend_ to give me some support, but apparently I was wrong.'

He turned to leave but Haley, who could never bear to leave a problem unresolved or to have anyone angry with her, grabbed a hold of his hand and said quietly, 'Look, I'm not sure how much I can do but I'll give it a shot and ask them, okay?'

And, just as quickly as his stance towards her had changed a moment ago, he once more adopted the attitude of a doting boyfriend and rushed back to her, taking her in his arms and beaming down at her, 'Thanks, Haley, I knew you wouldn't let me down.'

He reached down and pecked her lips, before releasing her and starting to walk out again, 'I've gotta get back to work now. S'later, Haley.'

And with that, he left the shop before Haley could even say goodbye or ask when she was going to see him again. She stood in shock for a couple of minutes, trying to process what had just happened before glancing at her watch and seeing that she was late for lunch with Peyton. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the shop and into the café next-door.

When she reached their usual table in the corner, Peyton was already sitting there with a plate of food and a cup of coffee in front of her and another plate set out in Haley's place. Peyton always prepared their lunches before she went on her break as she didn't trust anyone else to get their orders right. Haley sat down across from her and was about to start speaking when she realised that Peyton was talking on the phone to someone.

'Yes, of course, Karen,' she was saying, 'I'll go up there tomorrow and check.'

Haley waved her hand at Peyton to get her attention, then mouthed, 'Is that Karen Scott?' at her. Peyton nodded before replying to whatever it was that Karen had said while Haley grabbed a napkin and hastily scribbled down a note on it that she shoved towards Peyton.

Peyton glanced down at the note that read: '_Can you ask Karen if the boys have personal trainers at the moment and if they're considering finding new ones when they get to town? Don't tell her it's me asking, please!_' She looked up at Haley, smiled reassuringly and nodded.

Haley waited anxiously, pushing her salad around her plate while Peyton continued the conversation for a few more minutes, obviously trying to find a moment to bring the issue up casually without making it seem forced.

Eventually, Haley's head snapped up as she heard Peyton saying, 'Oh, I completely understand. They must have a very busy schedule to stick to, especially with all that training they must have to do to stay in such good shape…,' there was a pause while Karen answered before Peyton made a sympathetic noise, 'it sounds terrible, no wonder you hardly ever get to speak to them. Do you think they might want to find a new trainer at some point so that you can all spend some more time together?...Hmm…yeah, I see…Well, of course I can! I can't remember any names off the top of my head but I'll ask around and send you a list, okay?' Another pause and then, 'No problem, Karen…Yeah, Haley's here now so I'd better go…I will…thanks, you too! Bye.'

She hung up the phone and gave Haley a pointed look, 'Karen says hi. I presume that whole fishing expedition was for Garrett's benefit?'

Haley's shoulders sagged slightly, 'Yeah, he came into the shop just now asking for me to put in a good word for him with the Scotts so he can promote his business when the show comes here.'

'And you said yes,' Peyton surmised, arching an eyebrow.

Haley shook her head, 'Not at first – I said I thought they'd already have trainers and that I hadn't really spoken to them much recently, which is true. But then he got all defensive and angry and, well you know I hate people being mad at me, so I said I'd try.'

'Let me guess, then he was all sweet again and then left as quickly as possible before you could figure out what had just happened?'

'Something like that, yeah,' she mumbled, 'thanks for asking for me. I was going to ring her later but when I saw you were talking to her, well….and then I was too embarrassed at the thought of Karen thinking that I would be only interested in talking to her so that I could get something from her…thank you for not mentioning me. I really have wanted to get back into contact with them but, well, it just hasn't happened and I would have hated for her to think that the first contact we've had in months was just me using her.'

'No problem, Hales, but you do realise that's exactly what Garrett's doing to you – using you? I don't know why you're still with him, he doesn't deserve you,' Peyton shook her head sadly for her friend.

'Okay, now you just sound exactly like my dad did last night,' Haley laughed, though she squirmed slightly in her seat uncomfortably.

'What can I say? He's a smart guy, I'm a smart girl,' Peyton grinned.

'I know what it seems like but Garrett _does_ really care about me and he can be really sweet,' Haley defended him.

'Well it certainly doesn't seem like he cares about you; from here it just looks like he cares about himself and what you can do for him. And you should have someone who's sweet and caring _all the time_, not just when he wants something from you,' she stated like it was a written law, 'plus, you're too smart for him.'

'_Peyton_!' Haley spluttered, choking on her drink, 'You can't just say stuff like that! Garrett is smart in his own way.'

'Yeah, you're right. I take it back: Garrett is very smart at being sneaky and manipulating people into doing what he wants them to,' Peyton said, popping a carrot into her mouth.

Haley wanted to argue but she knew Peyton was right, 'He's just good at getting what he wants.'

Peyton snorted, 'You don't say,' then seeing how upset Haley looked, she softened her expression and took hold of Haley's hand, 'look, Hales, I'm not saying this stuff to be a bitch or just for the sake of it, you know that. If Garrett was sneaky and manipulative but treated you like a princess then I wouldn't have a problem with him, but he doesn't and that's why I don't like him; that's why he doesn't deserve you. But if you're happy with him, then I'll keep my mouth shut.'

Haley looked at her gratefully and squeezed her hand back, 'Thanks, Peyt. I know he's not perfect and I know that it probably won't last much longer but…well…'

Her voice trailed off as she thought what she couldn't say out loud: that Garrett was as good as she was ever going to get and if she let him go then she was worried that she would be alone forever. She didn't see herself as being beautiful like Peyton and Brooke; in her mind's eye she was still the gawky book girl she had been when she was younger and she didn't see that she was equally as beautiful and talented as her friends. Peyton could see the insecurity in her friend's posture but decided not to pick her up on it and upset her.

So, instead, she said, 'Karen says Lucas and Nathan will be arriving in Tree Hill on Friday and she wants me to go over and check that everything's ready for them. She said they're bringing a small group of other people with them to help with filming so she's asked me to clean the house three times a week now and that she'll sort someone out to cover my shifts here when I'm at the house. She also said that the boys do currently have personal trainers but that the regime they're tied into is far too intense for them and that they hardly get any free time. None of them are happy with it and they're probably going to change trainers once they get here. I said that I'd send her a list of people for them to check out, I figured it would make it less obvious that I was promoting a specific person that way. And also, it gives them the choice so if they don't pick Garrett, he can't blame you.'

Haley's smile and teary eyes silently expressed her thanks before she said, 'So you're going to be going into the great castle, huh? You'll have to tell us all about it.'

'Hales, firstly, it's not a castle, despite what everyone here calls it. Secondly, I already clean there once a week anyway. And finally, I doubt any of them will pay any attention to me at all – I'm just the cleaner, after all.'

'Yeah but that's why you'll be able to see everything and report back to us without being noticed,' Haley pointed out excitedly, 'plus you'll get to be on TV.'

Peyton shook her head, 'At first, Karen offered me double the usual pay to do it but I said I'd do it for normal pay if she made sure that any clips that they film with me in get left out of the show. She agreed and then insisted on paying me twice the amount anyway.'

Haley's mouth fell open a little in shock, 'That's why we all love Karen – she's so generous. It's nice to know that fame and wealth haven't changed her. Did she say why she was offering you double pay for it?'

'She said it was because it would be harder with more people there, I tried pointing out that I was already going to be paid more because of the extra two days I would be working there – you know they pay me more for cleaning the house, right? Then she said it was for the inconvenience it would cause me. I tried to tell her it was fine but she insisted and said it couldn't be pleasant having to work with camera crews and media taking over everything,' Peyton explained.

'You're pretty much the only person I know who would try to talk her way out of getting a pay rise,' Haley laughed.

Peyton shrugged, 'I know they're like billionaires or something and that they can afford it, but they've always been so nice to me that I feel bad getting anything else from them, you know?'

Haley nodded, then asked, 'So, why did you ask not to be shown on TV?'

Peyton pulled a face, '_Claudia_. The woman already watches me like a hawk when I'm at home, if I was on TV then she'd get another chance to spy on me and check that I'm behaving myself. Besides, I want to act like myself around that house without having to worry about it being publically broadcast to the nation and if I want to bitch to someone in the house about Claudia and the gruesome twosome then I don't want some idiot with a camera putting it on air. Plus, if I say so much as 'hello' to either Lucas or Nathan she'll skin me alive for trying to 'flirt' with them.'

Haley nodded again sympathetically, 'It makes sense, but you know you're gonna have to explain it to Brooke, right? She'll think you're crazy for not wanting to appear on TV.'

'I figure she'll be so excited about her award that she'll let me off the hook for this one,' she said.

'Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!' Haley gasped, 'Isn't what they wrote about her amazing? She's going to be _everywhere_ now and everyone's going to want to be seen with her.'

Peyton personally thought that it sounded like her idea of hell but she knew how much it meant to Brooke so she kept her thoughts aside as, after all, it wasn't her who was receiving the award or the attention, 'Yeah, can you believe she's actually won it? I mean, I remember us talking about it at this table years ago when we were still in school; it all seemed so far off and surreal back then.'

'It still seems quite surreal now,' Haley smiled, 'I mean, we're best friends with one of the biggest names in fashion in the _world_ now.'

'I'm so proud of her, but I do wish we could celebrate it with her in person,' Peyton also smiled but her expression was marred by thoughts of missing their friend.

'Me too,' Haley reached over and patted her hand, 'but she'll be here with us again soon: there's no force on earth that can stop Brooke Davis from coming back to Tree Hill, especially not when they're gonna be filming _The Scott Life_ here. She'll be back in no time, you'll see. And then we'll all celebrate together, just like old times.'

Peyton nodded and forced herself out of her emotional slump to smile properly at Haley, 'You're right, as usual, Hales. I'm just missing her a lot more, I guess.'

Haley frowned, 'Are things bad at home again, sweetie? I mean, you know, _worse_ than the usual 'bad'.'

Peyton sighed and dropped her head into her hands, 'They're pretty much the same as usual – the same old rubbish I have to put up with every day, you know? But this whole TV show coming to town thing has brought Claudia to a whole new level of crazy and I didn't even think that was possible anymore.'

'Well, I guess it would have been weird for her not to be freaking out over something this big. What's she making you do this time?'

'Well, you know how the outside of our house makes it look like a hermit's been living in it for the past ten years?' Haley nodded and Peyton continued, 'She's making me sort the whole thing out before the Scotts get here, which was impossible when I thought I'd have at least a week to get it looking at least half decent but now I've only got three days so I'm pretty much screwed. I shouldn't really even be here now, I should be getting on with it but I didn't want to give up my only free hour in the whole day. And I wanted to see you, of course.'

'You're right, that _is_ impossible,' Haley murmured, thinking about the enormity of the task, 'are the bimbos as bad as she is?'

'I dunno, haven't had the misfortune to run into them yet. I had to be up before dawn to start on the house and I was gone before they were up.'

'That is _so_ messed up,' Haley said, raising her eyebrows.

'Yeah, and I had to tell Elise about Claudia and her new torture scheme last night. She kind of forced it out of me and I ended up having to tell her why I've stayed as long as I have. It all got a bit messy and emotional but I think I managed to convince her against going head to head with the Wicked Witch of the West. On the downside though, she found out about Claudia making me fix up the house and so now she's going to do all my housework until I've finished,' the story flowed out from her lips as her concern for her sister that had been brewing since their talk the night before forced her to share it.

'Peyton, I know you want to keep all of this from her and obviously no eleven year old should be doing all the housework while her grown-up stepmother just sits back and lets her do it, but this was bound to happen eventually. Elise is just that kind of girl, and she adores you so she was always going to try and help you however she could. Isn't it better that she found out now so you don't have to keep hiding it from her?' Haley reasoned gently.

Peyton lifted her face from her hands and used them to push her hair back from her eyes, 'Yeah, I guess so, but I just wish I could have kept her from seeing just how horrible Claudia is for a bit longer. She's too much like me sometimes – she has too much of a spark and a stubborn streak – and now she's just that little bit closer to snapping at Claudia and then who knows what that woman will do to her.'

Haley winced, 'How's she holding up now she knows? Actually, no don't tell me – I'll find out myself when I come over after work and help you with the house.'

Peyton's eyes widened and she started to protest, 'Haley, please, you don't have to–'

'Of course I do, Peyt,' Haley interrupted her in a kind voice, 'there's no way you'll be able to get all that work done by yourself in three days – you'll kill yourself and then where will we be? I'm not arguing with you on this, Peyton, I'm helping you and there's nothing you can do or say to stop me.'

Peyton slumped a little, half in defeat and half in relief, 'Thanks, Hales. I'll pay you back in cakes and cups of coffee.'

Haley laughed, 'There's no need for that, but if you really did feel like making me one of your famous chocolate fudge cakes then maybe I wouldn't say no to that.'

Peyton grinned at her gratefully, thankful that her friend knew her well enough by now to know that she would feel far too guilty if she didn't let her thank her in some way, even if it was just baking her favourite cake for her, 'Okay, deal. Now you've heard far too much about all my problems; how's your father doing?'

Haley glanced at her watch and then laughed tiredly, 'I don't think five minutes will be long enough but I'll start anyway and just tell you the rest later at yours. Where do I even start? Well, he's not been eating again: I came up yesterday night after you'd gone to see him and he'd skipped lunch and dinner. In fact, he thought it was lunchtime when I first started talking to him; it was like he'd just zoned out and was in a whole different world of his own. I'm scared that he's lapsing back to how he was before, Peyt, and we barely managed to pull through that the first time. I don't know if I can do it all again.'

'You won't have to,' Peyton took her hand and reassured her, 'it sounds like you've managed to spot the warning signs before he gets that bad again and you'll know what to look out for now. And if things do get worse, then you know I'm here for you, Brooke too.'

'Thanks, Peyt,' Haley smiled, glad that she had the support of her friends to fall back on at times like these, 'look, I've got to go but I'll tell you the rest later, okay?'

'Sure, I'll see you at five-ish,' she said, already getting to her feet and clearing away their plates and cups, 'and you might want to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, 'cause there's a _lot_ of rubbish that needs to be cleared away before we can even think about starting to paint it the house.'

'Looking forward to it already,' Haley chuckled, waving and walking out of the café.

**XxX**

Brooke stepped out of her bedroom freshly showered and in her 'press outfit': a turquoise silk blouse, a grey pencil skirt that started just under her bust and finished a couple of inches above her knees and a pair of stilettos that matched the colour of her top. Her hair was down and falling into sleek naturally loose waves around her face and her mouth was arranged into a smile as she entered her living room to face Kathy, who was sitting waiting for her on one of the couches. Brooke's stepmother looked unnaturally young for someone who was nearing her forties; thanks to her ridiculously strict health food regime, she could easily pass for someone ten years younger than she actually was. Her face was never without makeup, though it was never exaggerated or tasteless, and she always dressed as though she had just come off a runway. As she had started her career as a model, she was, of course, incredibly beautiful, with porcelain, flawless skin, peroxide dyed blonde hair that stopped just below her shoulders and wide hazel eyes that took in everything that was going on around them. She was tall and slender, never having been willing to sacrifice her figure to have a child of her own but, for the last eight years, she had been the closest thing that Brooke had to a mother.

'There: that looks _so_ much better,' Kathy smiled at her as she took in her fresh appearance, 'I can't imagine what you were doing still in bed at this hour.'

Brooke rolled her eyes, before coming to sit down on the sofa opposite her stepmother's, 'I was sleeping, Kathy, what else would I be doing?'

'Well you certainly shouldn't have been lying around in bed when half the world's press are all dying to get a hold of you,' Kathy chastised then, intrigued, asked, 'why were you up so late anyway?'

'I felt like going for a walk after I'd finished talking to Haley and Peyton so I went out. And then…I met a guy,' she mumbled the last part shyly.

Kathy arched one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, 'Oh? And who, pray tell, was this 'guy'?'

'Just someone I met in a square,' Brooke said hurriedly, desperate to distract her stepmother so they could move on.

'Does he have a name, this 'someone'?' Kathy leant forward in her seat.

'Julian,' Brooke blushed at the mere memory of him and decided to leave off his last name in case Kathy took it upon herself to stalk the poor man down and pull her protective stepmother routine on him.

'I see, and are you planning on seeing him again?'

Brooke squirmed uncomfortably; she felt as though she were in a police interrogation, 'I'm not sure, but I hope so. He's going out of the city for a while and he doesn't know when he's going to be back but I gave him my number and he says he wants to take me out to dinner when he gets back.'

'Well it's probably a good thing he's going to be gone for the foreseeable future then, isn't it? The last thing you need right now is some boy distracting you with false promises of dates. Hopefully by the time he comes back, you'll have forgotten all about him with everything else going on and, if he rings you at all, you'll be able to politely decline. And then that'll be the end of the whole business,' Kathy said, planning the whole scenario out as though it was now written in stone.

'But I don't _want_ it to be the end of it,' Brooke protested, 'I liked him, Kathy, and he seemed really nice.'

'Oh, darling, they all seem like that at first, believe me, but they all eventually turn out to be money-grabbing heartbreakers who run off and leave you when they've had their fun. There are very few good men anymore – you're father being one of them, of course – they're very few and far between. Just look at how long it took me to find your father,' Kathy leant back in her seat and took a sip from the drink she had made herself while Brooke had been getting ready.

'You were only thirty, and Julian didn't seem like that,' Brooke murmured, keeping her eyes fixed on her hands as she began to feel more and more like she was a child being told off again.

'And this was after, what, a couple of hours – if that – speaking to him on a Monday night? You can't get a good impression of anyone's character in such a short space of time. It's better just to let it drop, darling, before you end up getting hurt,' Kathy said dismissively.

'I don't want to let it drop, though,' Brooke said quietly but firmly, 'I'm tired of being alone and passing up on every guy that might be actually interested in me just because I don't want to get my heart broken or because I don't have the time.'

Kathy could see the tears beginning to form in her stepdaughter's eyes and she rushed over to her, sitting down next to her and wrapping her arms around her, 'Oh, Brooke, I'm sorry. You know I don't want to upset you, I'm only trying to help you. I know all too well what it's like being a young, successful woman in New York, remember? People will take advantage of you at every opportunity, but you know that already, of course. Look, maybe this Julian guy is the real deal and maybe you two could be happy for a while, but you've just won the most prestigious culture award that there is going. Your life and your career is never going to be the same – everyone is going to want to be wearing your clothes and everyone is going to want you on their show or to be photographed with you. This is a really big time for you and you're not going to have time to be starting up a relationship and trying to make it work with everything else that's going on. It's best to wait a couple of years – you're still so young after all – and then you'll be an established person in your own right and people will recognise you as that, rather than as one half of some couple.'

'You're right, of course,' Brooke gave her a small, teary smile, 'I need to focus on my career right now, not guys.'

'Well your company is called Clothes Over Bros for a reason,' Kathy reminded her with a laugh, 'you just need to keep on telling yourself why it's all worth it in the end. Now come on, we've got a press conference to attend.'

Brooke nodded and Kathy stood from the couch to get both of their jackets; while she was gone, Brooke thought to herself about what Kathy had just said. She knew that Kathy was just looking out for her as she had gone through it all just a few years beforehand. So far, Brooke had mostly followed Kathy's advice to the letter ever since she had started her company, taking her words to heart; when her father had remarried three years after her mother's death and chosen a bride who was a good ten years his junior, Brooke had been concerned that she wouldn't like her stepmother or get on well with her. But she had been wrong: from the moment that she had met Kathy, the older woman had taken Brooke under her wing and mentored her, encouraging her in her plans to start up a clothes company and sharing all her knowledge and advice about the business. Though Kathy would never replace Brooke's mother, she had become like a favourite aunt for her and she loved her dearly.

Kathy had always made it clear that, when it came to choosing between one's career and love, the latter always had to come second. Brooke had taken the advice as law and, since she had left high school, had not dated anyone or had a boyfriend so that she could concentrate properly on getting her business off the ground. This was why she'd chosen the name 'Clothes Over Bros' for her company – to let everyone know that she was committed to making it work and that she would not allow herself to be distracted by romance. Sticking to that decision over the past four years hadn't been too challenging, sure there had been a few guys that had interested her and who she had been tempted to go out with but in the end, after having seen far too many examples of failed relationships, phony men and broken hearts, it had been fairly easy to let the opportunities pass her by. However, for some reason that she couldn't quite pinpoint, meeting Julian in the square that night had made her start to question her resolve. There was something about him that made her believe that he was genuine and he might just be worth taking a risk on, and, seeing as Brooke knew that such men were a rare find, she made up her mind to ignore Kathy's advice and to give him a chance if he did ring her. After all, what was the point of her having all this success and joy if she had no one she could share it with? Of course, she had her friends but what she really wanted was to be in love again and to have someone to care for and who cared for her.

As Kathy returned to her with her light summer jacket in her hand, she decided to keep this resolution to herself as she knew that her stepmother would neither approve nor understand it. She smiled at Kathy and slipped on the jacket before grabbing her purse and making her way towards the door. It was only when she'd opened the door and turned around to see if Kathy was ready to leave that she realised that the other woman was still standing in the living room staring at the coffee table with a slight frown on her face.

'Kathy? Is something wrong?' Brooke asked, coming back towards her and glancing down at the table to see what it was that had captured her attention. It was then that she saw the open copy of _Mirror_ that Kathy had dropped there after having waved it in Brooke's face by way of congratulations when she had arrived. Brooke had naturally praised her stepmother on her own achievement but as they both looked at the article now she remembered its somewhat lacklustre review of Kathy's work and she said softly, 'I'm so sorry about what they wrote, Kathy.'

Kathy's head snapped up as though she had forgotten Brooke's presence entirely, 'Oh, don't be silly, darling. It's a perfectly fine bit of writing and it was never going to be as good as the FOTA's piece – they never are.'

'But still, it's so much…less than before,' Brooke said cautiously, unsure as to how to phrase it as she didn't want Kathy to feel like she was rubbing her failure in her face.

'Perhaps not, but I'm not the Fairest of Them All anymore,' Kathy shrugged, 'I'm fine with it really, darling. Yes, I'll admit it did hurt a bit at first but then I saw you'd won and the wonderful things they'd written about you and, well, I was so happy for you that I couldn't be sad for myself anymore. I really am so pleased for you, Brooke. You mustn't let one stupid bit of writing ruin your victory.'

Kathy moved away from the magazine and patted Brooke on the arm as she breezed past her and out of the front door. Brooke stood for a moment, staring at the magazine and wondered how long it would take before she too was staring at someone else's face and name at the top where hers had once been.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it - this chapter was originally going to be double the length but I felt that it needed to be put up as two separate chapters once I'd finished writing this part. The good news though is that the other half is almost ready and so hopefully I should have it ready for you to read soon! Thank you for reading and please review if you have the time!**


	4. The Arrival

After half an hour's solid work, Haley and Peyton had finished clearing out the Peyton's front yard and had stripped the few remaining pieces of ivy still clinging to the face of the house that had managed to escape the earlier culling. They stood back, wiping sweat from their foreheads with grubby hands, to admire the now bare façade of the house – with its blank white walls and dusty, barren yard it was a blank canvas for them to start work on. They were just getting out tins of fresh paint for the walls when the front door burst open and a blurry figure ran out into the yard and towards Haley.

'Haley! Haley! _Haley_! You're here,' shouted Elise in excitedly, almost bowling the petite woman over in her joy at seeing her as she flung her scrawny arms around her waist. Peyton laughed and shook her head as she looked at the two of them, before deciding to give them a moment to catch up and grabbing a paintbrush to start to paint.

'Yes I'm here,' Haley laughed, hugging the girl back, 'I've missed you, kiddo. How's it going?'

Elise tilted her head back and looked up at Haley with big chocolate eyes and grinned, 'I'm good, thank you, Haley. How's the bookshop and library?'

'They're both great and I am too, even better now I've seen you,' she smiled, squeezing Elise closer to her, 'you should come down soon – we've got new books just in and there's one with your name on.'

The younger girl's eyes lit up with happiness, 'Ooo! What's it about?'

'Well, you'll have to come and get it so you can read it and find out about it for yourself, of course, but I seem to remember something about it involving pirates, far off lands and adventures on the big, blue ocean,' Haley whispered conspiratorially, her eyes growing wider as she listed off the book's credentials.

'That sounds _amazing_! I can't wait to read it,' Elise squeaked, jumping up and down.

'Good, 'cause it's reserved for you and only _you_,' Haley chuckled at Elise's excitement and tapped her on the nose.

'That really does sound great, Hales, thank you for doing that for Elise,' Peyton turned from her painting and smiled in gratitude at her friend.

Haley waved the thanks away, 'Nothing but the best for my favourite youngest Sawyer.'

Elise beamed up at her, squeezing her once more before finally releasing her and Peyton reached over to ruffle her sister's wayward blonde curls and said, 'You'll have to go down and get it tomorrow, button, before someone else gets it first. It would be nice for you to get away from the house for a bit, have a break.'

Immediately, Elise's smile faded to be replaced by a frown and a pouting lower lip as she shook her head, 'Nuh-uh, I can't go tomorrow.'

'Why not?' Peyton asked, crinkling her eyebrows.

''Cause you'll still be working on this,' she gestured to the house, 'and so you'll still need me to be doing the housework.'

The distress at the thought of her baby sister having to give up the chance to relax and read a book to clean the house was evident on Peyton's face but she tried to make light of it, 'Oh, I think I can spare you from chores for a couple of hours if you're going to be having adventures on the high seas with pirates!'

Elise's bottom lip protruded even more and she squared her shoulders with her feet planted firmly on the ground in a picture of defiance, 'No, I promised you I would help out with the house chores until you were finished with this and we don't break our promises, remember?'

Peyton fought back tears of frustration at this – not at her sister's attitude but at the circumstances which had led to an eleven year old having to argue with her adult sister to let her clean the house – and when she spoke her voice was slightly strangled, 'I know that we said that, Elise, but you deserve to be able to read a book without having to worry about doing housework so I'm willing to let you out of that promise.'

'Peyton, I _want_ to help,' Elise argued in a voice that sounded much more grown up than she was, 'I said I would and you need it so please just let me? 'Cause they're coming in less than three days and if you don't have this done then-'

'Shh, it's okay, you can help,' Peyton hushed her quickly once she saw the upset expression on Elise's face as she thought of how her stepmother might punish her for being lax in her duties, 'the book's not going anywhere, right?'

She glanced over at Haley, who nodded, 'That's right, it'll still be there on Friday, or whenever you come to pick it up. But your sister's right, Elise, once the Scotts are here, you should spend some more time reading or doing something you want to do rather than working.'

'Okay, I will,' Elise agreed, looking between the two women and taking in their concerned expressions, 'but I still want to help more around the house, even when the Scotts are here.'

Peyton chewed on her bottom lip anxiously before saying, 'We can talk about that later but right now I'm guessing that you got so excited about Haley being here that you forgot about finishing your homework, am I right?' Elise hung her head slightly and grumbled out a 'yes', causing the two women to laugh, 'Right then you need to go in and finish it or I won't let you help me, remember?'

'Alright,' Elise huffed and rolled her eyes.

Her sister smiled and gave her a quick hug, 'You'll thank me for it when you're not flunking your classes, button.'

Elise pulled a face before turning to Haley, 'Bye, Haley. I'll come get that book soon, it really does sound cool.'

'That's alright, Elise, we can say goodbye later once Peyton and I have finished for the day. I'll come find you, alright?'

Elise nodded before waving and trudging back into the house with a deliberately loud sigh to let her sister know that she wasn't going willingly. Haley watched her go before turning back to Peyton and heading towards where the paintbrushes were. They painted in silence for a couple of minutes before the tension emanating from her friend, who was deliberately hiding her face, became too much for Haley to cope with.

'Peyton, honey, are you okay?' Haley asked, hesitantly placing a hand on her arm.

There was a slight pause before Peyton whispered, 'No. I'm a terrible sister.'

'No you're not,' Haley said firmly, trying to get Peyton to look at her so she could see that she meant it, 'Elise worships the ground you walk on, but it's normal for her to be reluctant to do homework.'

'That's not what's bothering me, Hales,' Peyton cried, hanging her head, 'I've seen Elise grow from a tiny baby to this beautiful girl, I've been there every step of her life and I've sure as hell been more of a mother to her than Claudia ever has. But somewhere along the way I must have failed because I shouldn't be having to use helping out around the house as a bargaining chip to get her to do her homework. That's just not normal! I _should_ be having to argue with her about getting her to do both. Kids her age aren't meant to be begging their older sisters to let them do chores. I'm not being crazy, right?'

Haley sighed heavily and wrapped her arm around Peyton's shoulders, 'No, you're right: it's not normal. But, honey, you don't _have_ a 'normal' home situation. I mean, aren't you glad that she's wanting to help out rather than her not caring that you have too much work to do? You're right that she has grown up with you as a role model, but she's also had Claudia and her two brats as examples. If you hadn't been there for her and taken care of her the way you have she could have just as easily turned out like them rather than like you. You've done an amazing job with her, Peyt, because she's got the same big, caring heart you do and watching you as she's grown up has shown her how to use it.'

Only then did Peyton slowly lift her head and look at Haley with wide eyes that were full of unshed tears and unspoken worries, 'You really think she's turned out okay?'

Haley nodded, 'Peyton, she's better than just 'okay', Elise is amazing – despite her weird passion for cleaning the house.'

Peyton laughed loudly and Haley could hear the relief in it, 'Yeah, I'm going to have to tease her for being such a dork when she's older.'

Haley chuckled before becoming more serious, 'You're going to be okay, Peyton. The two of you will make it through this and you'll do it together.'

'I don't know, Hales,' Peyton said quietly, 'I don't know how much more I can take. If it was just me Claudia was treating as her personal slave then I wouldn't care and I'd be able to keep going but it's not just affecting me anymore. Elise is getting dragged into it and no matter how hard I try I know that Claudia isn't going to leave her be for much longer. She's going to start targeting her soon and if she does I swear I'm actually afraid of what I'll do to her.'

'It's not going to get that far, I promise you,' Haley told her earnestly, 'Brooke and I are both here for you and we'll support you through all of it, even if it's just for you to have a good bitch fest at Claudia's expense. And you can always send Elise round to the library for me to take care of and to keep her out of the monster's way.'

'Thanks, Haley,' Peyton smiled weakly and turned so she could hug her friend properly, 'I honestly don't know what I'd do without you and Brooke. I think I'd have gone crazy by now or maybe buried her in the back garden! I just can't think clearly when it comes to Elise being hurt or upset – I mean, you saw me with her just now – I turn into a wreck! It's just…she's my _baby sister_, you know?'

'Of course, honey,' Haley murmured, rubbing Peyton's back soothingly as she hugged her, 'but you know she's so lucky to have a big sister like you who's stuck around for her through all of it. You have no idea how much that's going to mean to her, especially as she gets older and can appreciate it more. I can't tell you how much I wish I'd had that.'

'Oh, Hales, of course, I'm so sorry! I didn't even think about how all this sibling stuff must be affecting you,' Peyton gasped, squeezing Haley a little bit tighter in compensation, 'are _you_ okay?'

'I'm fine, Peyt, really I am. And anyway, you and Brooke are the only siblings I need and you've been far better ones than the ones I was born with have been,' Haley said softly, trying to ignore the sickening clench her heart gave when she thought about her older brothers and sisters.

'But you still shouldn't have had to go through what you have,' Peyton murmured as she thought of all the pain her friend's family had caused to her.

'And you shouldn't have had to put up with any of this,' Haley said, stepping out of the hug to gesture at the house that they were painting, 'but we both have and we make do the best we can. Now, let's get on with painting before this turns into any more of a sob fest than it already has been.'

Peyton grinned and picked up her paintbrush again and started to paint once more but with a happier air about her than she'd had previously and the change in her mood cheered Haley's spirits as well. They worked like that for another hour and Haley shared her concerns about her father's health and his state of mind while they painted. She told Peyton that she was determined to start looking out for him more by making sure he ate and took care of himself.

'Once he started getting better, I just left him to it because I didn't want him to think that I was mothering him or patronising him but recently, I've been thinking that maybe I've taken too much of a step back,' she admitted anxiously.

'Maybe he just needs more of a hobby or something to give his days a bit more of a structure,' suggested Peyton from the top of the ladder where she was currently painting the top half of the house, 'I mean, I know he's busy inventing and planning but from what you've been saying it sounds like he needs something else to give him a purpose, even if it's just to give him a break from sitting in his study all day.'

'Hmm, I think you're onto something there, Peyt,' Haley mused, 'I'll see if I can get him interested in joining a local group or something. It can't be good for him that most days I'm the only person he sees.'

'I can look through some of the brochures and ads that we have in the café to see if there's anything that would be good for him if you want,' Peyton offered.

'That would be great, actually,' Haley nodded enthusiastically, 'then I'll just have to try and think of a way to get him to think that joining a club is his own idea not mine.'

'Ah, you're a sneaky lady when you want to be, Haley James, I'm sure you'll be able to think of something,' chuckled Peyton.

'True,' Haley giggled, before glancing down at her watch, 'shoot, I hate to cut this short but I've got to go and make dinner for me and dad and make sure that he hasn't just created a nest in his study and burrowed into it.'

'No, no that's fine! You've been such an amazing help, Hales, thank you for agreeing to do this,' Peyton said, climbing down the ladder and coming to stand next to Haley so they could admire their handiwork, 'besides, I think we've done a pretty good job so far.'

Haley linked her arm through Peyton's as they looked up at the house which they had almost completely covered in its first coat of paint, 'Yeah, we have, haven't we? It looks so much better already.'

'Hmm, it's strange to think that just a fresh lick of paint and a clear yard can make such a big difference to how a house looks,' Peyton said.

Haley was just about to say that she was going to go inside and say goodbye to Elise when her words were washed away by the loud roar of a nearby car. Two seconds later, a dazzlingly white new Raven tore into the driveway next to where they were standing and jolted to a stop. The convertible top had been put down to reveal the custom-made hot pink leather seats inside; personalised rhinestone number plates sparkled from the front and back of the car. Overall, the whole car screamed 'ostentatious' and was everything that Raven cars generally strived not to be as the Scotts had wanted their vehicles to have understated elegance and class. However, the owner of said monstrosity had forked out vast amounts of cash and called in a few personal favours to have the car tailor-made to her wishes and so, reluctantly, the Scotts had eventually obliged her. The owner was, of course, none other than the elder of Peyton and Elise's two stepsisters, Megan, and it was her who was currently sitting in the driver's seat, flipping her perfectly straightened red hair over her shoulder and pouting into the rear-view mirror to check her makeup. Sitting next to her was Claudia, her mother, and sprawled out over the backseats listening to her iPod was her younger sister, Beatrice, who took more after their mother in terms of her hair and eye colour.

As neither Beatrice nor Claudia could drive, they relied on either Peyton or Megan to get them to where they needed to be, though Peyton was usually too busy to comply with either of their wishes, which she considered to be incredibly lucky on her part. As soon as the engine had stopped, Beatrice got out the car and, still with her headphones in, slouched into the house without a backwards glance to anyone left outside it. In terms of personalities, Megan and Claudia were two rotten peas in a pod, both cunning and entirely self-centred, while Beatrice was selfish as well but in a different way. While Megan would order Peyton around like she was her servant and deliberately go out of her way to make her life a misery, Beatrice locked herself away in her room and generally only emerged for school or to eat but still expected everything to be done for her and refused to lift a hand to help. There were times when Peyton actually found Beatrice's apathy and laziness more frustrating and irritating than Claudia and Megan's bossiness and obvious hatred. At least the latter were blatant in their abuse, whereas Beatrice sometimes looked like she wanted to intervene to help Peyton or Elise but then would just go back to looking uninterested and would let the situation continue.

Claudia and Megan stepped out from the car and came to stand next to one another as they took in Peyton, Haley, the paint pots and the front of the house. They both had their arms crossed over their chests and one hip stuck out to the side in a show of casual displeasure.

'I see you called in the cavalry,' Claudia said in a voice that only just betrayed her disapproval as she glanced over at Haley.

'Haley told me that the Scotts will be here by Friday and that didn't leave me enough time to get the house ready on time,' Peyton explained flatly, choosing to use as few words as possible in the hope that the other two women would leave them alone faster.

Claudia pursed her lips and took her time looking over every aspect of the house that she could see, obviously weighing up whether what her stepdaughter was telling her was true, eventually she said, 'Very well, your little friend can help as long as her being here doesn't cause any trouble.'

Peyton rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of her stepmother, 'We're both twenty-two years old, Claudia, and Haley runs the local bookshop and library, for goodness' sake. She's hardly going to vandalise the house.'

'Perhaps not, but I was referring to her…discretion with regards to certain issues,' Claudia said carefully, deliberating on each choice of word. She was referring to the fact that, to the rest of Tree Hill and even to Larry (Peyton and Elise's father), the Sawyer family appeared to be perfectly happy, normal and functional. Claudia and Megan, once she had become old enough to be truly complicit in the whole affair, tried their hardest to present an ordinary front to the outside world so no one had ever guessed that Peyton was essentially being used as a dog's body or that Elise was almost completely ignored by everyone apart from her biological sister most of the time. Peyton had also kept the secret, though for different reasons, and had made her friends promise that they would too.

''Certain _issues_', as you put it, have been going on for ten years now and I haven't said anything in that time, have I?' Haley replied shortly, growing impatient with Claudia addressing Peyton as though she wasn't standing right next to her.

Claudia turned her hawk-like gaze onto Haley and regarded her critically for a couple of moments, 'No, I suppose you haven't. Make sure it stays that way.'

'You're sure they're coming here on Friday?' Megan demanded of the two women, cutting across any comment they might have been about to make with regards to her mother's obvious threat.

'Positive, I spoke to Karen at lunchtime and it's been all over the local news all day, I'm surprised you've missed it,' Peyton informed them.

'We've been out shopping all day getting new outfits for when the cameras get here,' Megan explained, gesturing to the car that had shopping bags crammed into every available visible space and Peyton guessed there would be more in the boot.

'Shouldn't Beatrice have been at school? And why aren't the millions of outfits you already have good enough for Lucas and Nathan Scott? It's not like they'll have seen you in any of them,' Peyton pointed out.

'Beatrice had a doctor's appointment this morning and he said that she should take the rest of the day off,' Megan said, 'and it doesn't matter that they haven't seen any of our clothes before – it matters that half my closet is almost a _year_ old now and I can't be seen on camera in anything so old. Those _rags_ that you wear might be good enough for someone as insignificant as yourself but for people like _us_,' she paused to point to herself and Claudia, 'image matters and we have reputations to uphold.'

'Yes, especially if everything goes according to plan,' Claudia added with a smirk.

'And what plan is that exactly?' Haley asked, frowning.

'Well, Megan's one of the only decent romantic options in this town for the boys to be interested in, and, of course, the producers will want to have some kind of love story set up for this season to make the viewers happy. And really, with her money, looks and family connections, Megan's the obvious choice,' Claudia drawled.

'I'll be one of their girlfriends by the end of the month, it doesn't really matter which one. And then it's a straight shot from there to fame and glory,' Megan said and let out a girly giggle that made Peyton and Haley's skin crawl, 'I tried to let Bea in on the plan and told her she could have whichever one the brothers I don't end up with but she didn't seem that interested, the dozy cow.'

'She's never had the same ambition or drive you have, darling,' Claudia nodded, linking her arm through her daughter's and starting to lead them both towards the house.

When she was almost at the door, Megan stopped and half-turned back to Peyton, 'Oh, and you'll need to bring in the bags when you're finished out here, Peyton, but make sure you wash your hands first – if you get paint on any of the clothes you'll have to pay for them to be replaced.'

And with that they swept into the house and slammed the front door shut behind them.

Haley shuddered once they'd gone, 'Gosh, I'd forgotten just how obnoxious those two are.'

'Believe me, they definitely don't improve on you with time,' Peyton muttered.

**XxX**

The sounds of small talk and general chitchat mingled with the clinking of wine glasses around Brooke as she stood in a large reception room filled with the other men and women that had been featured on the Fairest and Charming lists that year as well as a host of media personnel from various TV shows, news channels, magazines and newspapers. They were all socialising after the press conference that had just finished which _Mirror_ arranged annually to promote their magazine, the lists and also those who appeared on it. The meeting had gone reasonably well, with Brooke and the other main winners being the main focus of all the attention as they were asked questions about their work and gave their reactions to being put on the list and nominated as winners in their divisions.

As the female overall winner Brooke had been the recipient of many of the questions and even now that the conference had finished she found herself being pushed from one group of people to another by her agent, Marco, as they asked her question after question. Her mouth and cheeks were starting to ache from having to smile for so many photos and TV interviews while her voice was beginning to sound even huskier than usual from all the talking she'd been doing. In general, she was enjoying herself – it was rare for her to be in a place with so many talented people and she liked being able to find out new things about fields outside of her own fashion expertise. However, her enjoyment was somewhat marred by the constant comparisons people insisted on making between her and Kathy that made her feel deeply uncomfortable, especially seeing as her stepmother was in the same room as them.

In the last questioning session she had had for Kingdom news channel, she had grown so tired of having to defend her and Kathy's relationship and saying that they were still as close as ever that she had been forced to be blunter than she usually was in interviews.

'So, has it been awkward replacing your own stepmother in the top spot?' the interviewer asked, 'For the past few years people in the industry have been calling her the 'Queen of Fashion' and you the 'Princess', but do you think you've now taken her title?'

Brooke sighed impatiently and replied, 'Look, Kathy and I are two, separate people. Yes, she may be married to my father but our relationship with one another has no bearing whatsoever on our individual talents. Kathy is the most talented designer, model and businesswoman I know and I won't answer any more questions about her or her success. You're speaking to me, so ask me about me and ask her about her. That's all I'm going to say on the matter.'

The rest of the interview had been slightly more awkward after that and news of her annoyance at such questioning tactics had quickly spread around the rest of the room so she hoped that would be the last time she would have to answer like that. But the other guests were also proving to be a problem for her: she kept overhearing snippets of hushed conversations that people were having about Kathy's demotion and about the negative impact it was bound to have on her career.

As she had been walking past a group of some of the other fashion personnel who had been featured on the lists, she heard one of them whisper loudly, 'I mean, did you _see_ what they wrote about her?'

The woman standing next to him shook her head, 'It was the equivalent of an eviction notice from the fashion world. I would have been humiliated if I was her.'

'I wouldn't have been able to show my face here,' another person agreed, 'just think of the shame! They only put her as the Fairest in Fashion so that she would go quietly and take it all lying down. I mean, that stuff about her _cloaks_ of all things! If ever there was a death knoll for someone's career being rung out that was it.'

Brooke had allowed herself to be propelled onwards after that as Marco shoved her towards one of the members of _Mirror_'s judging panel who she saw to her relief was a good friend of hers, Juliet Taylor.

'Brooke, there you are!' Juliet cried happily when she saw who it was that had just been pushed rather unceremoniously in front of her, and the two women hugged in greeting, 'I've been looking everywhere for you but every time I got close to being able to speak to you, you'd get whisked away by yet another person. You certainly are the centre of attention today.'

Brooke pulled a face that showed her discomfort with that, 'I wish they'd all just leave me alone for a minute, to be honest.' Juliet laughed and Brooke groaned, 'I'm sorry, I know that must sound incredibly ungrateful!'

'No, not at all,' Juliet continued to laugh, 'I've seen the way they've all been mauling at you – I'm amazed you've been able to put up with it for as long as you have. But you know you deserve it, don't you, dear? You've always worked so hard for everything you've got and this is no exception.'

'Really? I keep expecting for there to have been some kind of mistake and for them to announce that they've announced the wrong person,' Brooke admitted, twisting her hands self-consciously.

'Oh, my dear, of course not! You earned this,' she assured her, reaching out and squeezing her hand, 'I know that we've been friends for a while now, but I want you to know that our connection had _nothing_ to do with you winning the award. I mean, obviously I sang your praises to the other judges – I have done ever since you came to New York and I saw how talented you are – but you won this on your own merit. If you weren't so wonderful, there would have been nothing for me to recommend to them.'

Brooke smiled what was perhaps her first genuine smile since she had arrived at the press conference, '_Thank you_, Juliet, really. For all your support and for putting my name forward for the FOTA, it truly is the best thing that's ever happened for me – a dream come true.'

'I'm glad to hear it, dear,' the older woman smiled back warmly, 'but I sense there's something else on your mind that's stopping you from really enjoying your moment, isn't there?'

Brooke hesitated for a moment, unsure as to whether she should voice her worries or not but then she remembered that Juliet had always been honest with her, 'Well, yes there is actually. And you might just be the right person to ask about it.'

'Go ahead, dear,' encouraged Juliet.

'It's about Kathy, I-,'she began to say.

'Wait one moment, Brooke, sorry to interrupt you but perhaps we should continue this conversation outside?' Juliet stopped her, putting her hand on her arm and glancing to her left where Kathy was engaged in conversation not too far away from them.

Brooke nodded her understanding, 'Yes, good idea – I do feel a little hot.'

She turned to Marco to ask him to give them a moment's privacy but, as though reading her thoughts, he said, 'Let me get you a drink, Miss Davis.'

'Thank you, Marco, that would be wonderful,' she smiled before allowing herself to be led to the reception room doors by Juliet.

Given the mass of people in the room and the noise within it, it wasn't too hard for the two of them to be able to slip out unnoticed. They emerged into a large, cool atrium that was thankfully empty and made their way over to a bench that sat opposite a small water feature.

Once they had sat down, Juliet turned herself towards Brooke and said, 'I think I know what it is that you want to tell me, my dear, but why don't you say it first rather than me guessing in case I'm wrong.'

Brooke nodded and took a deep breath, 'Juliet, I keep hearing things about Kathy – either people say them to me or I overhear people talking about her – and it's starting to worry me. I know that her write-up in _Mirror_ wasn't exactly her greatest but the way people are talking about it…it's like she's been excommunicated from the fashion world. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me what's going on.'

Juliet sighed and ran her hand over her forehead, 'I was worried that you were going to ask me about this.'

'Why?' Brooke asked, and when Juliet didn't answer, she pressed, 'Juliet, what's going on?'

The grey-haired woman looked up at her with regret, 'I really didn't want to be the one to tell you about any of this but the longer it's gone on, the clearer it's become to me that no one else is willing to tell you the truth so I'm going to have to.'

'What's the truth? You're scaring me, Juliet,' Brooke frowned, feeling herself become tense.

'I'm sorry, Brooke, I don't mean to be so dramatic about the whole thing, it's just a difficult subject to broach, that's all,' she reassured her, patting Brooke's hand, 'I know you care about Kathy very much and that the two of you have a good relationship, so please don't let what I'm about to tell you ruin that.'

'I won't,' Brooke said cautiously.

Juliet nodded, partly to Brooke and partly to herself, before continuing, 'Brooke, Kathy is a very ambitious woman – I'm sure you already know that – but I'm not sure you know just _quite_ how driven she is to succeed. I know that she's always championed her success to be the result of her own hard work and that she says that she's never needed a man to do well in life. But the truth is that ever since she started as a model at seventeen, she's done whatever she needed to in order to get ahead; she's bought, bribed and slept her way to the top, that includes to the top of the Fairest list.'

Brooke held up a hand to stop her, feeling nausea sweep over her, 'Wait, you mean she's cheated on my dad to get to the top of some _list_?'

'No, as far as I'm aware, the sleeping with people stopped once she started dating your father,' Juliet assured her quickly and Brooke breathed a sigh of relief, 'but by that point she already had a wide network of people who were all indebted to her in some way and she's used them all to get to where she is today. There's a reason why she was the first person to ever win the FOTA award five years in a row and why she's managed to stay on the list for as long as she has.'

'You mean money, right?' Brooke clarified.

Juliet nodded, 'I'm not saying that other people haven't done it in the past to make it onto the list but no one's ever done it to the same extent that she has, and she's done it in other aspects of her life as well. Her company's success is founded on the bodies of people she's trampled on to make it and her modelling career's only lasted as long as it has because she's seen off her rivals and critics in any way she could. I know your stepmother is a beautiful woman – no one would deny that – but, let's face it, she's reaching her forties now and in comparison to her catwalk peers she's past it. A less vain woman would have known to call it a day long ago and moved on to modelling for things that were more appropriate to her age.'

'So, if she's shelled out so much cash to keep herself at the top, then how come she's not FOTA again this year?' Brooke asked.

'Because this year, the whole bribery scheme almost became public knowledge after reporter uncovered it. _Mirror_ was able to legally gag him and pay him off enough to stop it from going to the press but they weren't going to take any more chances with this year's list. So everyone who'd bribed their way onto it in the past was replaced by someone else this year and told that if they wanted to make it onto it again they would have to play by the rules and be nominated fairly.'

'But Kathy's still on it,' Brooke pointed out.

'Your stepmother was kept on out of respect for the fact that she _is_ very talented and also, because she has paid so much over the years to appear on the list, _Mirror_ thought it best to phase her out of the limelight slowly. There was no question of her winning the FOTA award again this year, of course, but over the next few years she'll slip down the ranking until she's no longer on the list at all. I think the editors thought if they did it that way then she'd be less likely to go to the press and tell about their ability to be…swayed so easily by money,' Juliet explained.

'Okay, so she won't be on the list anymore but surely that doesn't mean that her career's coming to an end?' Brooke frowned, trying to understand just what precisely lay in store for her stepmother over the next few years.

'I'm afraid that Kathy's techniques have earned her many enemies over the years – ones that were only kept in check because she was such a powerful name and one word from her could end a career in a second – but they've seen that the tide is changing now. When people saw the list this morning and that she wasn't at the head of it, Her Majesty's stocks plummeted. Now that _Mirror_ has stood up to her, other people have realised that they can too. For Kathy, the next few years are going to be a downward slope of people stopping buying her clothes, contracts that won't be renewed, companies dropping her from their advertising and more rejections as the world starts to move out from under her thumb,' Juliet told her grimly.

Brooke raised her eyebrows in shock as she took in the whole situation, 'Wow, she really is finished, isn't she?'

'Yes, her years of being queen bee are coming to an end,' Juliet confirmed, 'but, Brooke, my dear, I meant what I said before I told you all of this – don't let this affect your relationship with Kathy. From what I've seen over the years, she really does care about you and your father and she would never do anything to hurt either of you. She may not have the best way of doing business with people but she has always been loyal and loving towards her family and those she cares about.'

'I won't deny that what you've told me about her has definitely made me see her in a different light and I've certainly lost some of the respect that I had for her – how could I not? But you're right about her being a good stepmother to me and a good wife to my dad so I won't mention any of this to her and I'll still love her as much as before,' she told her.

'Good, I would have hated to have been the one to come in between the two of you,' Juliet smiled in relief, 'you've always seemed so close.'

'Thank you for telling me, Juliet,' Brooke smiled in return, though hers was a little weaker from what she had just learnt, 'I know it can't have been easy but I appreciate your honesty and your discretion so far that you have kept it from me to spare our relationship.'

'No problem, my dear, I'm just sorry that I had to be the one to tell you,' she said apologetically.

Brooke reached out and held her hand, 'I'm glad it was you and not some random stranger or a reporter just trying to get a scoop. I know I can trust you, Juliet, and that matters to me the most.'

Juliet leaned forward and hugged Brooke, before releasing her and saying, 'Well, I think they're probably all wondering where you are, shall we go back in?'

Brooke sighed reluctantly, 'I suppose we should.'

They rose and entered the busy room once more and almost instantly Marco found them, as though he had been watching out for their return. He handed Brooke one of drinks in his hand, which she downed quickly after having checked that no one was looking at her. She looked up to see him looking at her in mild shock and Juliet regarding her with pity and sorrow.

'Shall we get back to it then, Miss Davis?' Marco asked, offering her his arm.

'Actually, Marco, I think I've got a headache coming – would it be terrible if we left now?' she said, feeling as though the energy had been punched out of her by Juliet's revelations.

'Of course not, I think you've done very well tonight, we've spoken to a lot of people so I think you've definitely earned yourself an early finish. Besides, it's always better to leave them wanting more,' he told her with a wink.

Brooke laughed but it sounded fake and tired to her, 'Thank you, Marco, let's go then.'

'You go on, I think I'll stay a little longer and talk you up a bit more,' he said.

'Okay, bye for now then,' she said, waving to him and then turning to Juliet, 'bye, Juliet, and thank you again.'

'It was lovely seeing you again, Brooke,' Juliet smiled, hugging her, 'are you sure you're alright?'

Brooke nodded quickly, 'Yeah, I think I just need some time alone to process it all, you know?'

'Of course, dear, it's a lot to take in,' she nodded sympathetically, 'go and get some rest and I'll see you at the awards ceremony next week.'

Brooke waved to them both again before slipping out of the door and rushing through the foyer. Once out on the busy street outside, she hailed a cab and got inside, relishing the feeling of being able to relax slightly. Not much later, she found herself standing in her apartment, feeling a little lost as she let Juliet's revelation fully settle in. She clambered onto one of the couches and finally allowed herself to unpick everything that Juliet had told her properly. She wondered wearily if she would be able to keep to what she had said to Juliet about not letting her relationship with Kathy wither in the light of what she had just heard or if it was now altered so much that returning to their previous state would be impossible.

**XxX**

Peyton locked up Karen's Café with her set of keys, shaking the door to make sure it was locked before heading up the street with her bag slung over her shoulder. It was five o'clock and even though her working day at the café had finished, there was definitely no chance of her being able to have a break. The next day would herald the return of two of Tree Hill's greatest success stories and she had to make sure there house was ready for them to move back into. She had already checked the house the evening before as she had promised Karen she would but she'd had to rush back home to continue working on her own house with Haley and so she hadn't had a proper chance to get anything done. Despite both her and Haley's hard work on the house and the fact that they had made good progress over the past two days, when Peyton had left for work that morning it had been nowhere near ready. The painting on the house was finished and the windows had new shutters attached to replace the old ones but it had still looked drab and bare, especially with the wastelands that were the front and back yards that they hadn't been able to tackle yet.

With the thought of the impossible task waiting for her when she got back home, Peyton had spent most of her day worrying about how on earth she was going to find the time to make the house look half decent _and_ sort out everything for the Scotts. Brooke had called her in late the night before with news from New York and she had told her about everything that was going on at home with Claudia, Megan and Elise. Peyton had left Haley's worries to do with her father out of the conversation, knowing it was best for Haley to speak to Brooke about it herself, but she did raise her concerns regarding Haley's relationship with Garrett. Neither she nor Brooke had liked the guy since they had met him, both feeling that he was using their friend and didn't treat her as he should, but they had mostly kept their disapproval quiet to support Haley. However, they still shared their thoughts on the matter with one another privately as they were both worried about Haley's wellbeing while she was still dating Garrett and his requests and behaviour towards her on Tuesday had only increased Peyton's doubts. The news had troubled Brooke too and they had discussed whether or not to try to talk to Haley any further about it.

'From the way she reacted when I tried to speak to her about it on Tuesday, I don't think we should bring it up again for the moment,' Peyton had said.

'_Mmm, you're probably right but I still don't like the thought of her treating her like that and just getting away with it_,' Brooke had said in a frustrated voice from the other end of the phone.

'I know but we can't force her to break up with him. I think deep down she knows what he's like but she just doesn't want to admit it to herself yet; we just have to be as supportive as possible until she realises what we did the first time we met him,' she had reasoned.

'_Okay, let me know if things get worse…or better,_' Brooke had said before her tone lightened, '_speaking of guys: I met someone on Monday night, well, kind of late night/early morning, I'm not sure which way it works_.'

'Ooo! Tell me everything,' Peyton had demanded excitedly, as she knew how much it took for Brooke to get excited about guys since she had left high school. Back then, they had had many conversations about guys and relationships – mostly to do with Brooke as Peyton hadn't really had time for boyfriends – but now those talks were few and far between and Peyton had missed the giddiness the topic brought to her friend's voice.

'Well, I went out for a walk after I'd said goodbye to Hales and I just sort of wandered around for ages until I found this square – I'm not even sure where it was – and I sat down just to have a bit of a rest. But I guess I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew there was someone trying to wake me up and it was almost morning. And when I opened my eyes there was _the_ most gorgeous guy I have ever seen in my life,' Brooke had gushed.

'Even more gorgeous than the Scott brothers?' Peyton had teased, knowing that Brooke held their looks in the highest esteem.

'_Not fair, P Sawyer_,' Brooke had huffed and Peyton could just picture her pouting down the phone, '_but yes, he was – it was like my perfect guy had just walked out of my daydreams and sat down on the bench with me_.'

'Wow, crazy,' Peyton had murmured.

'_I know, right_!' Brooke had squeaked delightedly, '_Anyway, so we started talking and oh, Peyt, he was so charming and funny and sweet! Eventually, I asked him why he'd come over and he said he was worried I'd died or something 'cause he'd kept looking over at me since he arrived and I hadn't moved for ages. And then he said I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and that he wanted to take me out to dinner_.'

'Brooke, that's great!' Peyton had cried, overjoyed that her friend was finally taking a chance with dating again. It had been far too long since she had heard Brooke this excited over a guy and even though she understood the reasons behind her dating hiatus, she still thought that someone as beautiful, kind and funny as Brooke should be told that daily by a man who truly loved her. Brooke Davis was not meant to be single forever, it just didn't seem right for her.

'_Well, before we both get overexcited, I have to tell you that there is no dinner planned anytime soon because he said he was leaving New York for a while and wasn't sure when he'd be back. At first I thought he was making it up to get away from me but then he told me that even though we'd just met he really liked me and would like to see if we could make it work. So, I gave him my number and told him to call me when he got back, so I guess I'm just going to wait now and see if he remembers to_.'

'I'm sure he will, he sounds great, Brooke,' Peyton had reassured her, 'so, does dream boy have a name?'

'_Yes: Julian Baker_,' Brooke had told her and Peyton had been able to hear the smile in her voice as she'd said it.

'That name sounds kinda familiar, y'know,' Peyton had mused.

'_I know, I thought that at the time but I figure it's just one of those names that has a certain ring to it_.'

Brooke had then gone on to tell her about the press conference and her conversation with Juliet about Kathy's chequered past. Peyton had been as shocked as Brooke: sure, Kathy had always been an incredibly driven woman but she never would have guessed that she hadn't achieved everything she had through legitimate means. Brooke had told her that even though she'd found it difficult to take in at first, that she was starting to come to terms with it and that she was grateful that she had been able to speak to Kathy normally when she had seen her.

As they had walked to Peyton's house during their lunch earlier on in the day, Haley and Peyton had been discussing the situation as Brooke had called Haley once she'd got off the phone with Peyton. She had decided to take her lunch with her to the house so she could spend the hour working on it and, despite her protests, Haley had insisted on accompanying her and helping. However, when they had got to the house, they both had to stop in shock at what they saw in front of them. It was as though they had stepped back in time to before the outside of the house had fallen into disrepair: the climbing roses and vines were back coiling around the porch just as they used to, there were flower boxes under all the windows that were spilling over with fresh blooms and the grass outside was vibrant and green once more. In fact, in that first moment, the only thing that had convinced Peyton that she wasn't time travelling was that the front garden actually looked better than it had done when her mother had been there to tend to it.

They'd gone tentatively inside the house to search for an explanation for such a miraculous restoral and found that the back yard had also been transformed into a garden full of flowers, shrubs and pretty ornaments. On the back door was taped a note that Peyton picked up with hands that were shaking slightly in her confusion.

In Brooke's handwriting was written: _P Sawyer, after we got off the phone last night I couldn't stop thinking about all the work that must need doing to the house and how, with everything else you have to do, you couldn't possibly finish it in time to avoid Claudia's wrath. So, I arranged for an army of gardeners to come in and sort it all out for you while you were at work. Don't worry about Claudia or the two trolls having seen them – they won a free spa visit early this morning and they'll be gone all day, so we can keep this just between us and they can just think that you're a world class gardener. Also, please don't worry about the cost – I've covered everything – and before you even start to complain or think about paying me back, don't bother. This is a gift from me to you and if you try and pay me back I'll just transfer the money straight back into your account. No arguments on this one, P, I'm the Fairest of Them All for this year so you have to do what I say! Think of it as a thank you present for all your support over the years. And if Haley's with you then tell her I haven't forgotten about her – there'll be a crate of books and other goodies arriving at her house tomorrow. Love you loads and speak you soon, B x_

Peyton sighed now as she thought of the note on her way through the centre of town. Of course, she was beyond grateful to Brooke for helping her out like she had as there was no way she could have done what Claudia had expected of her in time but she still felt guilty about taking that help and not giving her anything in return. She knew that Brooke saw the gesture as a gift but it was one that must have cost more than Peyton could ever afford to thank her in kind, not that Brooke would allow her to do so anyway. She often wondered what on earth she had done to deserve such amazing friends who were so willing to help her, no matter what. And, of course, Peyton would do anything for them too – the three of them were like sisters and it was a bond that had never wavered throughout their years of knowing each other.

The buildings around her were starting to thin out a little now as she reached the edge of the town and the large hill after which it was named loomed in front of her. Looking up at it now and thinking of the climb that awaited her she began to regret not driving to work that morning so that she could have spared herself the aching muscles but she had decided to walk to work and now she had to put up with her decision. At the top of the hill, overseeing Tree Hill and the area surrounding it, stood a grand house which had resided there for centuries. In the past, mayors, judges and wealthy merchants had all lived there but for the past few generations it had belonged to the Scott family. The first Scotts to own it had been relatively rich as they were involved in banking and had bought the house when its price had been fairly low due to its somewhat neglected state. The family had restored the house to all its former glory and had passed it on to the next generation of Scotts. Several decades later, Dan and Keith's father had almost lost the family their home due to his excessive drinking and gambling but they had managed to cling onto it and it was the house Lucas and Nathan had grown up in. The house itself was called Hillcrest Manor and was a beautiful work of red brick walls, sprawling gardens and oak panelled corridors. Keith and Karen had modernised certain rooms and added central heating and double glazing in order to make the manor more comfortable to live in but for the most part, the house had retained its original charm and appeal.

As with all old houses, Hillcrest Manor required a fair amount of work to keep it all in order and so the Scotts had hired a few maids, cleaners and gardeners to achieve this while they were still living there. When Keith and Karen had decided to relocate their family four years ago they had kept the house as they had been unwilling to sell it and they had asked only a couple of gardeners and a cleaner to maintain it for them. And Karen had chosen Peyton to be that cleaner.

Karen had opened her café before she married Keith and had continued to run it as normal until the day they left Tree Hill despite the fact that their vast increase in income rendered the need for it unnecessary in monetary terms. But Karen had never been one to be bothered by wealth or fame and she had kept the café open and running because she wanted to and enjoyed the opportunities it gave her to interact with the various people who came in, to whom she was always friendly and charming. In this way, the people of Tree Hill continued to see the Scotts as a normal family like any other, for the most part anyway – no other family had a camera crew or reporters following them around town. Since the Scotts had moved away, the press had mostly left the town alone and it had slipped back into relative obscurity, save for the odd tourist or fan wanting to see the place where their story had all begun, though of course that was all about to change tomorrow.

Peyton had started working at Karen's Café when she was fourteen, though back then she only worked an hour or so every other day as Karen wouldn't hear of her jeopardising her studies to work. However, as the years had gone on and Peyton had confided more to Karen about her home situation and why it was that she needed the job and the money, the older woman had allowed her to have longer shifts. Once Peyton had graduated from high school, she had worked her way through college by continuing to work at the café but by then the Scotts had moved away and Karen had let her be in charge of running the café in her absence. Karen had also asked Peyton to clean the manor one day a week to give her a break from the café and so she had continued to do so for the last four years or so, though upon finishing college a couple of months ago, she now worked full days at the café instead of the half days she had worked whilst she'd been studying.

When Peyton had asked Karen why she hadn't sold the café when she'd left Tree Hill, she'd told her it was because she didn't trust anyone else to take care of the place or Peyton properly though, if it hadn't been for her already being overrun with other responsibilities, she would have sold it to Peyton. As it was, Karen had allowed Peyton to keep almost all the earnings from the café on top of the wages she already paid her, though Peyton had resisted initially but Karen's soft spot for the younger woman and her unassailable logic that she definitely did not need the money for herself had eventually worn her down enough to accept. Now with Karen's most recent changes to her employment and pay rise she felt guilty again as the other woman had already done so much for her but she knew that Karen was forever looking for ways to subtly give her more money and that it was unavoidable. With or without her new work schedule, Karen would have figured out some way of getting her to accept more money and, though it was a source of constant embarrassment and discomfort to Peyton, her endless generosity and kindness was one of the many things that Peyton loved about her and had made her something of a mother figure.

The walls that encompassed the manor grounds now stood before Peyton and she tapped in the security code to open the large iron gates that were the entrance to the house. Once she'd made sure the gate had shut behind her, Peyton continued to walk up the gravel drive to the front doors of the house, taking in the freshly pruned appearance of the trees and hedges that lined the walk and noting that it meant the gardeners must have been at some point that day. At the front doors, she put in another code into the security pad next to them before digging out her set of keys and unlocking the door manually as well. She pushed open the doors to the sound of the burglar alarm beeping and she quickly deactivated it before shutting the doors behind her. She had texted Karen to let her know that she would be back at the house again after closing up at the café as she liked to keep her in the loop and also because Keith and Karen were automatically alerted by the house's security system every time someone accessed it. As an unfortunate by-product of their fame, the Scotts had had to install an advanced security system in their house, which would doubtless have to become even tighter once Lucas and Nathan had moved back in.

Dropping her bag at the foot of the stairs and getting out her iPod, Peyton made her way to the cupboard where she kept all her cleaning supplies. In general, the house didn't need too much doing to it as there was no one living there to mess it up and Keith and Karen had requested for certain areas to only be cleaned every six months or so. When she had inspected the house the day before, Peyton had been able to see that all she needed to do was to vacuum some of the rooms, do a little dusting and fix up a few of the bedrooms so that they were ready to be slept in. She started with the vacuuming first, plugging her iPod into some speakers so that she could listen to her music whilst she cleaned. She worked quickly, eager to get back home and relieve Elise of her household tasks, and in no time she found herself putting the finishing touches to the last of the guest rooms that she needed to make up.

It was only when she turned off her music and started to gather up her things that she heard sounds coming from downstairs like someone was moving around there. Feeling her heart rate increase and tiny beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead Peyton grabbed hold of the first thing she laid her hands on and held it out in front of her in what she hoped was a threatening fashion. Cautiously, she crept down the landing and peered over the banister to see if the intruder was visible from there; when she was sure that she couldn't see anyone, she cursed silently and started to descend the stairs as quietly as possible. When she was standing in the hallway once more, she stood still to try and pinpoint where the noises were coming from.

A clatter of china to her left told her that whoever it was had taken up residence in the kitchen and she headed towards there, keying '911' into her phone just in case.

'Please be a stray cat, please be a stray cat, please be a stray cat,' she muttered to herself over and over as she tiptoed her way to the kitchen.

Once standing outside the kitchen door, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the worst before kicking open the door and edging into the room. Unfortunately for her, there was indeed someone in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards, and that someone froze as soon as they heard her enter. Slowly, they turned around to face her, hands up in front of them in a show of peace, or surrender, she wasn't sure which one.

Peyton sucked in a short gasp as she saw that the person standing on the other side of the kitchen was none other than millionaire basketball player, Lucas Scott.

* * *

**A/N: Like I said at the end of the last chapter, this was meant to be the second half of that chapter but I decided to break it up because it felt like Kathy's character developed too quickly in the space of one chapter from a mother figure to potential psycho-bitch. Obviously, seeing as Brooke's storyline in this is based on Snow White, I'm sure you all already know that she's going to turn nasty at some point because stepmothers don't exactly get the best write-up in fairytales but I just thought that it was happening a bit too fast and so split it up. **

**Thank you so much again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - it really does motivate me to read all your wonderful comments as well as making me overwhelmingly happy! Hope you all liked it, please review if you have the time! And keep a look out for the next chapter, I'm working on it currently so hopefully it should be up sometime next week or maybe early the week after - it all depends because I've got a couple of really busy weeks at work coming up. Teaser for the next chapter: it's the big arrival of the Scotts in Tree Hill and reunions are happening everywhere!**


	5. Lights, Camera, Drama

**A/N: I've had this chapter written and almost finished for a few days now but then work got busy and I was tired but here it is now! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and an extra massive thank you to br0kenbranch for her amazing reviews that gave me the motivation to finally finish this chapter and post it. Oh, and I was so happy to have finished it that I haven't spellchecked so sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!**

* * *

'L-Lucas Scott?' Peyton managed to splutter after a few moments of shocked silence had passed between the two of them, her heart still pounding in her ears and adrenaline making her hands shake a little.

The young man on the other side of the kitchen ducked his head in bashful acknowledgement as though the very mention of his name now caused him embarrassment due to it being called out so much by fans, 'Peyton Sawyer?'

Peyton felt her eyes grow wide with astonishment, 'You remember me?'

Her bewilderment seemed to give him confidence as his shoulders relaxed a little and he shoved his hands into his pockets, sending her an easy grin, ''Course I do. You were the loner cheerleader.'

She felt her cheeks growing hot at the memories his reference brought up and she croaked out, 'Yep that was me.'

'Well you're hard to forget, Peyton Sawyer,' he told her and the way he said it with a small smile and looked at her with such integrity made her stomach clench. And then, so quietly that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not, she could have sworn she heard him whisper, 'Impossible to, actually' under his breath.

It was then that she allowed herself to take him in properly and note the differences that had taken place physically since she had last seen him in the flesh. He was taller certainly and she assumed he'd had a late growth spurt – not that he'd ever been short to begin with – he was now a fair bit taller than her, something that was doubtless helpful for his basketball career. His hair was shorter and more stylishly cut than it had been in their senior year but that was understandable as he probably had an army of stylists in line to make him look perfect. And, from what she could see, they were doing a good job: his cheekbones had become more defined, his jawline more chiselled, his physique more toned and his eyes deeper and more mesmeric, though perhaps the last one was just her imagination playing tricks on her. His outfit didn't scream 'superstar' at her; in fact, he looked relatively normal in terms of his clothing choice: just dark blue jeans and a grey fitted t-shirt with a pair of worn-down sneakers. She guessed that this must be his attempt at blending in and looking 'everyday' like she knew Brooke liked to do whenever she could. However, despite the normality of his clothes, he was so much handsomer than the average citizen that his attempts fell flat and he just looked as much like a male model as he would have done if he had turned up in a designer tux. And her realisation of this shocked her: she hadn't expected herself to become just like another one of his blithering fangirls who got all flushed and tongue-tied just from looking at him but she was ashamed to admit that he made her feel a bit of both.

In light of this discovery of his attractiveness, Peyton suddenly found herself growing increasingly awkward in his presence as she became aware of her own shabby appearance caused by a day of work at the café followed by cleaning work. She fixed her eyes onto the island counter that stood between them, deliberately avoiding eye contact in case she embarrassed herself further by outright staring at him.

While she had been silently studying him, she had forgotten that she hadn't made a reply to Lucas' last comment and it startled her a little when he pulled her out of her thoughts by saying softly, 'I'm sorry for scaring you just now.'

Her head jerked up involuntarily at the sound of his voice and she blurted out, 'You're early.' She cursed herself inwardly as it came out sounding like an accusation but then she reminded herself that, had Brooke not done her a favour and sorted out the rest of her house for her, his arriving before scheduled would have landed her in serious trouble with Claudia as the house wouldn't have been ready.

He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck, 'Yeah, I decided to come down tonight before the others got here so I could have some time alone getting used to the old place again. It's been a while, you know?'

Peyton nodded her head, 'Yeah, four years now.'

He looked at her inquisitively for a moment, as though wondering why she should remember how long it had been since he moved, before shoving his hand back into his pocket and saying, 'Look, no offence, but why are you in my house?'

'Karen didn't tell you?' she frowned.

He shook his head, 'No…she didn't.'

'Right, um…well, I'm here because I work for your mom,' Peyton began awkwardly, suddenly remembering that Lucas was probably her employer too now rather than just some guy she'd once lived in the same town as, or even just a celebrity, 'I come in and clean the house one day a week.'

Lucas' eyebrows raised at that and he said slowly, 'You…work…for my mom…and you clean…here…once a week…'

Peyton squirmed uncomfortably, twisting her fingers together as he stared at her, 'Yep, that's right. Only now I'll be working here three times a week.'

'Three days?' he asked, his expression of mild shock growing.

'Yeah, your mom called me on Tuesday and asked me to come in more days seeing as there'd be people living here again,' Peyton explained, wishing his face would stop registering his astonishment that she was a maid in his house so she could stop feeling quite so awkward.

Lucas let out a low chuckle and muttered, 'Of course she did,' he seemed to be speaking to himself and he said something else under his breath she couldn't catch but before she could ask him what he meant by it, he snapped out of his daze and smiled winningly at her, 'well that's very kind of you to agree to do that, Peyton. I really appreciate it and I'm sure the other guys will do to.'

Peyton shrugged, ducking her head to hide her blush, 'It's my job, I get paid to do it.'

'I know, but still…thank you. There's going to be quite a few guys living here soon so it's probably going to be a lot messier than you're used to,' he said.

'Well, there's five of us at home and when I do the cleaning there it can get pretty bad sometimes,' she replied, deliberately neglecting to mention that by 'when' she meant all the time.

'Ah, but that's all girls, isn't it?' he pointed out with a grin, 'Now, all guys living together – that's a whole different level of messy.'

She laughed and said nonchalantly, 'I'm sure whatever you guys bring I can deal with. The others are still getting here tomorrow, right?'

He nodded, stepping forward to lean his elbows on the kitchen island, 'Yeah, it's just me that decided to be awkward and mess up the schedule by coming down early.'

'You've got to be careful making last minute decisions like that, you know,' she warned him teasingly, 'I thought the house was being burgled and I was prepared to do someone some serious damage.'

'What? With a duster?' he snorted, pointing down to the object in her hand that she had picked up blindly upstairs to defend herself that she now saw was an incredibly non-intimidating feather duster, 'What were you going to do – tickle me to death?'

She shrugged again, keeping her face perfectly straight, 'I've heard it's a painful way to go.'

They stared at one another for a second before both bursting out laughing. Looking at him throwing his head back and laughing with his whole body, Peyton couldn't help but notice that Lucas seemed more at ease and natural in that carefree moment than he had for their whole conversation. He seemed younger and, impossibly, more handsome, so much so that she wondered why his agent just didn't have him laughing all the time.

Once they'd both recovered, Lucas grinned at her, 'You know, I don't think I've laughed like that in a long time, so thank you, Peyton.'

'It's been too long for me too,' she agreed, her smile still hanging around her lips, and then she sighed quietly as she glanced at her watch, 'I really should get going though and leave you to have your alone time before the others arrive with the whole media circus in tow.'

'Oh, there won't be a media circus,' he informed her, pushing back off the island to stand properly.

Peyton frowned, 'I thought it kind of came with the territory of being a TV star and top basketball player.'

'It does,' he confirmed, 'but just not while we're filming here. Nathan and I only agreed to do this series if the media agreed to stay out of town and leave people here to get on with their lives as normally as possible.'

'Why would you do that?' she asked curiously.

'Many reasons,' he replied cryptically, 'one of them being that our family's fame has already meant people have had their privacy invaded enough in the past and we didn't want to do it again, not when the town seems to have mostly been able to get back to normal since we left. So we've managed to arrange it that the only cameras coming into Tree Hill will be our filming crews so long as we keep everyone doubly informed by increasing our social media output. And we're airing each episode the week after it's been filmed so people will be as up to date as possible.'

Peyton looked at him in wonder for a moment, marvelling that someone of his celebrity could be so concerned for the wellbeing of a small town, 'Well that's very thoughtful of you. But surely you won't be able to keep everyone out – won't some people try to do some undercover reporting?'

'Probably, but our legal team have done a pretty good job of ensuring that the risk of that will be as low as possible.'

'And what about the crazy fans?' she pressed, certain that even he couldn't guarantee that the town wouldn't be overrun by a screaming mob any time soon.

He ruffled his hair, looking embarrassed at the mention of his fans, 'Well, obviously we can't physically stop them from coming but both all of us involved in the show have tried to explain as often as possible and in as many places as possible that we'd rather they refrained from coming to see us in Tree Hill as much as possible. I know it's not much of a reassurance but it's the best we can do and I just hope that people will understand and respect that.'

Peyton raised a sceptical eyebrow at him, 'I think you have a little too much faith in people.'

A smirk appeared on his lips as he quirked an eyebrow back at her, 'Is that a bad thing?'

'Perhaps, perhaps not,' she said, shrugging.

'Well, in the future I'll try to be more pessimistic around you,' he said drily.

She was silent for a moment before shaking her head, 'No, don't. I could use a bit more optimism in my life.'

'I'll do my best to provide it for you, then,' Lucas told her with a grin.

'I can't guarantee it'll work on me, mind you,' she warned him, 'Brooke and Haley have been trying to get me to be less 'broody' for years now and it hasn't really gone in their favour.'

'That's because they haven't had me around – I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be,' he said and the look he gave her made her feel hot and cold at the same time and her insides feel like they were tingling.

Struggling to maintain her composure under his gaze, she said, 'Oh, I'm sure you can be, but I can be very stubborn when I want to be.'

He chuckled, 'I have no doubt about that.'

He fixed his eyes on her appraisingly and she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to be out of the same room as him as she felt like she no longer had enough oxygen, 'Well, I really have to go now, so I'll see you next week.'

'Bye, Peyton,' he smiled and waved at her.

She mumbled a further goodbye before rushing out of the kitchen, stuffing the cleaning supplies back into the cupboard, grabbing her bag and running out of the house. She only slowed down once she'd reached the bottom of the hill and then she stopped to catch her breath.

'What the hell is wrong with you, Peyton?' she berated herself under her breath and hit herself in the head, 'He's just a guy, pull yourself together!'

The entire walk home she ran through their exchange and cursed herself for acting so awkward and allowing herself to get so flustered by him. By the time she had reached her house, she had vowed to herself that the next time she saw him she would be perfectly composed and she wouldn't let his good looks or charm get the better of her. After all, his attractiveness would no longer be a surprise to her next time and so wouldn't catch her off guard, and she reminded herself that she had no time for a silly crush anyway.

**XxX**

Friday morning in Tree Hill brought a frenzy of activity to its usually sleepy streets. Posters were hung up everywhere welcoming the Scott brothers home, bunting was strung up along the high street and almost every shop or business was offering some kind of special deal in celebration of their arrival. People who were usually too busy to stop and talk to one another in their daily schedule found themselves standing on the sidewalks conversing to their neighbours in excitement about the day's events. No one knew the precise time that the Scotts were due to arrive so people were reluctant to go about their daily business in case they missed anything. What people were certain of, however, was that in order to get to Hillcrest Manor the Scotts' cars were sure to drive down the main street and so that was where the hub of activity was.

Twelve o'clock saw Peyton and Haley sitting alone in an empty Karen's Café eating their lunch: the rest of Tree Hill's population were gathered on either side of the street outside, clutching flags and prepared to cheer wildly the moment they caught sight of the Scotts. There had been word that their convoy had been spotted nearby and that they were sure to arrive within the hour and so the crowd outside had swelled quickly as the news had spread. Women were dolled up to the nines with the hope that they would then look decent on TV should the cameras be filming the Scotts' entrance, children were hoisted up on their parents' shoulders to get a good view and men were discussing with one another whether or not the brothers would come down into the main part of town to socialise with them.

Unphased by all the hype, Peyton had just finished recounting to Haley her run-in with Lucas the evening before and the latter was leaning in intently, enthralled by the story.

'I can't believe you saw him,' she gasped once Peyton's tale was over, 'I mean, I know you're going to be seeing them regularly when you have to clean there but I kind of thought they'd keep to themselves and think they were too good to talk to anyone else.'

'Mmm, I thought so too – that was why I was so surprised when he actually started talking to me like a normal human being. He was just so…_natural_ and easy to talk to, it completely threw me off,' Peyton admitted, taking a bite of one of her fries.

'That and the fact that he was mind-blowingly hot?' Haley said with a smirk.

Peyton blushed slightly and ducked her head, 'Yeah that definitely didn't help things.'

'Do you think anyone else knows he got here early?' Haley asked, deciding it was best not to embarrass her friend any further and to change topic.

'No, I think he was keeping it quiet. My guess is he'll have met up with their group somewhere else this morning and he'll arrive with the rest of them like he was meant to have done today and no one will be any the wiser,' Peyton surmised.

'Except us two,' Haley smiled, enjoying the feeling of having knowledge that was just between the two of them, 'or did you have to tell Claudia?'

Peyton shook her head, 'No, I figured she wasn't going to be able to see him before anyone else in town even if I did tell her so I kept it to myself. She doesn't have to know everything, after all.'

'Was she at all impressed about you being able to get the house done in time?' she asked.

'If she was then she sure as hell didn't show it to me,' Peyton snorted, 'she just looked at it all with her best poker face and then told me to have dinner on the table within the hour.'

Haley raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle, '_Man_ she's a bitch!'

'Tell me about it,' Peyton chuckled, 'I genuinely think even if I'd somehow managed to magic our house into a castle overnight she wouldn't even bat an eyelid.'

'Do you think she suspects anything about you having any help? Apart from me, of course.'

'I don't think so, at least I sure hope not,' she replied, shuddering at the thought of what Claudia would do if she ever found out, 'but I think we're safe for now, which is good 'cause now I can get Elise to stop rushing around the place like a little housemaid.'

Haley smiled softly, 'Bless her, but remember you promised to let her still help out a bit at home.'

Peyton pulled a face, 'I know and she won't let me fob her off with some excuse or little task, either. I'm going to have to find something for her that I can make seem a harder job than it actually is.'

'Somehow I don't think that'll work on her,' Haley laughed, 'she's a smart girl.'

'Mmm, too smart,' Peyton mused, 'she's like you.'

'Why does everyone keep saying that?' Haley shook her head with a smile.

'Who else has said it?' Peyton asked.

'My dad,' Haley replied.

'How is he?' she asked with concern.

Haley hesitated, her face clouding over slightly with thoughts of her father, 'Better, I think. He's eating more and I've been setting alarms at different times to keep reminding him what time of day it is. But he's still so wrapped up in his work – he keeps saying he's close to making a breakthrough but as far as I can see, he's no closer to inventing anything than he was five years ago.'

'Did you find any clubs or groups for him to go to?'

'None that he seems at all interested in,' Haley shook her head tiredly, 'I tried pushing some pamphlets in front of him at dinner but he just said that he was too busy to look at anything and then went back to his study with his food.'

Peyton reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly, 'Just give him some time and keep bringing it up every now and then. Maybe he just needs to get used to the idea of being able to take a break.'

'Maybe, but what if I never get him to leave the house? He's wasting away, Peyt, I can see it happening right in front of me and nothing I do seems to make any difference,' Haley sighed despairingly.

'It'll be okay, Hales, just take it one problem at a time and if it does get that bad then we'll deal with that if it comes, but I know you and you'll think of something before it does,' Peyton assured her.

Haley opened her mouth to say something else but her words were swept away by a roar of cheers that invaded the café from outside and she turned to look at what was going on.

'They must have been spotted,' Haley said excitedly, 'come on, let's go!'

She grabbed Peyton's hand and proceeded to drag her outside, despite her protests that her fries would go cold if she left them. Haley pushed open the café door with some difficulty due to the mass of people standing on the other side of it and they wormed their way outside, squeezing through the wall of people until they were in sight of the road. Haley linked her arm through Peyton's so that they wouldn't lose one another in the throng and they craned their necks to see if there was actually a car coming to justify all the excitement. Sure enough, just appearing at the end of the high street that moment was the first in a line of five cars, four of which were fairly nondescript black four-by-fours with blacked-out windows but the middle one was a red convertible Raven from their classic range that had its roof rolled back to reveal Lucas and Nathan sitting in its front seats. Lucas was driving the car and waving intermittently to the crowd while Nathan was waving and smiling non-stop as a cameraman in the backseat filmed the whole thing. The convoy was moving slowly to allow people enough time to see the brothers and this meant that a couple of cameramen were also moving along on the ground beside the Scotts' car to capture them and the crowd from different angles. The local news channel's cameras were also vying for the best positions to capture footage of the celebrities.

When the cars had reached the middle of the street, Nathan gave a signal to the other cars and they stopped. He stood up on his seat in the car and the cheering increased to a crescendo of yells, shouts and the sounds of their names being called from the crowd. All around them was a sea of waving flags, banners and arms and the halted procession seemed to be the only still thing in the midst of all the chaos.

Nathan waved his arms to signal for silence and the noise quietened down until the whole street was waiting with collectively held breath, straining to hear whatever it was he was about to say.

'Hello, Tree Hill,' he shouted, his voice carrying well in the now silent road aside from a few random catcalls and whistles, 'my brother and I are very excited to be back here in our hometown. It's been four years since we left the streets that we grew up around and we've missed you all, so thank you for the incredible welcome you've just given us. Before we go and unpack, we'd just like to announce that we will be holding a ball at the manor next Friday to celebrate our homecoming and everyone in the town is invited. We would be very honoured if you would join us, we'll give you more information once we've settled in. Thank you and we hope to see you soon.'

The silence continued for a moment before the noise rushed back in again like a surging tide, louder than ever before as people shouted their thanks and approval and the flag-waving grew even more frenzied. The first car slowly started to move again and Nathan sat back down in his seat while Lucas started the engine and waited for the car in front to move. He looked around him as though he was searching the crowd for something or someone, then, just as it was time for him to move the car forward again, he caught sight of Peyton and Haley crammed in between a particularly excited group of basketball fans. Peyton caught his eye and he grinned at her, winked and waved before the car moved forward and he had to return his gaze to the road again. It only lasted a second or two so no one else noticed, not even the cameramen, but Peyton still felt her face heating up once more and she muttered curses under her breath as Haley laughed at her awkwardness.

Her laughter was cut short, however, as she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she turned as best as she could in her limited amount of space to see who it was.

Garrett was standing behind her smiling at her and he shouted over the noise of the crowd, 'Hey, Haley! Can we talk for a second?'

Haley frowned and gestured to the people pressing in on them, 'Is now really the best time?'

'I have to get back to work in a moment,' he insisted, taking her hand and pulling her towards him.

Haley's arm was still linked through Peyton's so she ended up half-dragging her with them as the crush of bodies around them wasn't allowing her to disconnect them from one another. She turned and mouthed at her, 'Sorry!'

Peyton smiled to show her it was okay and then pointed at the café to indicate that they should go inside to get away from the crowd. Once they had slipped inside, Peyton disentangled herself from Haley and looked between her and her boyfriend, 'I'll go clean up from lunch, then.'

Haley smiled at her, 'Thanks, Peyt. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?'

Peyton nodded, eyeing Garrett suspiciously, 'Bye.'

She disappeared into the kitchen and Garrett took a step towards Haley with a grin, 'Hey, you.'

Haley remained where she was, crossing her arms over her chest, 'Hey yourself, what do you want?'

He frowned, 'Why are you being so cold, Haley?'

'Oh, I don't know how about you talked me into doing you a favour and then dropped me like a hot potato two seconds later and haven't spoken to me since,' she said, her voice showing her irritation.

'Don't be like that, Haley, you know I had to get back to work,' he groaned, reaching out for her.

She stepped away from his hands, 'And what about the last three days since then?'

He ran a hand through his hair, 'Look, I've just been busy, okay? It's no big deal, I just had stuff to do.'

'And you couldn't have texted me to let me know that?' she demanded.

'Why are you being so needy, Haley? I thought you weren't like that,' he said, looking at her like she was a massive disappointment to him.

'I'm not! I just would like to hear from you every now and then so I actually feel like we're in a relationship rather than feeling like you're shutting me out,' she protested.

'I'm not shutting you out, I just didn't have anything that I needed to say to you, that's all,' he shrugged and Haley felt like she'd been slapped.

'I don't know what kind of relationships you've been in before, Garrett, but when you care about someone, you talk to them whether or not you have something important to say. You could have just told me how your day was going or that you were thinking of me – anything but just not this silence because I can't stand it!' she cried, struggling to maintain her composure as he seemed to be so cool and collected in front of her.

'Alright, alright, I'm sorry I made you feel that way, okay?' he sighed, 'I'm just not used to having to check in with my girlfriend every five seconds.'

Haley softened slightly and allowed him to come nearer to her, 'It doesn't have to be like that but just once in a while would be nice to let me know that you're alright, I feel like I hardly ever see you or hear from you anymore.'

He put his hands on her waist and kissed her forehead, 'I'm sorry, I'll make a bigger effort from now on.'

She pushed herself up onto her toes and pecked his lips, 'Thank you. I swear, I don't want to come across as some crazy, neurotic girlfriend, but I just get insecure sometimes. Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?'

He grinned at her, drawing her closer, 'I just wanted to say thank you for recommending me to the Scotts. I got a call from them this morning asking me to meet them next week so they can interview me and see if they want me to be their new personal trainer.'

Haley returned his smile and hugged him, 'Oh, Garrett, that's great news! I'm sure they'll love you.'

'I know they will,' he laughed, 'I don't suppose you could put in another good word for me, could you?'

Haley froze in his arms and eyed him suspiciously, 'Is this another favour?'

Garrett shrugged again, 'Yeah, I suppose so if you want to phrase it like that.'

'Well that's what it is,' she pointed out, 'it was awkward enough the first time, I really don't want them to think that I'm using them, not when I haven't spoken to Lucas in years. I don't want his first impression of me to be one where I'm trying to get something from him.'

'Oh, so you're more concerned about how you look to someone you're barely friends with anymore than you are about helping your boyfriend. Clearly your loyalty to me only extends as far as a favour every now and then,' he sniffed, looking at her with displeasure.

'You know that's not true, Garrett,' Haley said, 'I've done plenty of things for you that you haven't even asked me to over the past two years and, for your information, I _was_ going to mention you to Lucas if I got the chance I just don't like the feeling like I'm being pushed into it.'

'That's all I'm asking, Haley, just talk me up a bit if it comes up in conversation,' he said, 'and then I can tell you all about it over dinner next week.'

Haley smiled at that, 'You're taking me out to dinner? We haven't had a date night in months.'

'I know but we will do,' he promised her, 'and I'll make up for being such a rubbish boyfriend later.'

He leant down and kissed her and when he pulled away again she was beaming up at him, 'Good, I look forward to it. It'll be nice for it just to be the two of us again.'

'Exactly, now I have to get back to work now that all the excitement's died down,' he said, nodding his head towards the window where the street was now relatively clear of people.

'Me too,' she sighed, 'bye for now.'

He kissed her again, 'I'll call you about dinner. See you soon.'

He left the café and Peyton re-emerged from the kitchen a second later and eyed the dreamy smile on her friend's face, 'What was all that about?'

Haley turned to her, still smiling, 'We're going on a date.'

**XxX**

For the first time in four years Hillcrest Manor was buzzing with activity and had people bustling all through it carrying equipment, bags and suitcases into various rooms. In addition to Lucas and Nathan, there would be four cameramen, the show's director and three sound and lighting technicians staying in the house for the course of the filming. Most of the space in the five cars had been taken up with luggage and equipment that would be used in filming and the ten men were all now busy unpacking it all and sorting out what would go where. For Lucas and Nathan it was a strange homecoming as their parents weren't there but also because their house was currently in the process of being turned into a workplace. There would be cameras and microphones set up in every room apart from the bathrooms to ensure that nothing was missed and the filming crew would then also shoot specific scenes and pieces as required. The brothers and the director had both wanted to keep the production as low key as possible so that they could keep a natural feel to the show, which meant that the director was also acting as the editor and he would send the finished work to Dan's production team to be aired that week.

'So, what was up with you and that blonde chick?' Nathan asked casually as he and Lucas lifted their cases up to their rooms.

'What do you mean?' Lucas frowned, trying to work out what his brother was talking about.

'You know, back in town when you winked and waved at that blonde girl with the crazy hair?' he reminded him.

'Oh, you caught that, huh?' Lucas murmured, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

'Dude, I'm your brother, I live for bringing up stuff that makes you uncomfortable - of course I did,' Nathan chuckled, 'so who was she?'

Lucas gave him a pointed look as he said, 'It was Peyton.'

Nathan stopped mid-step, one foot above the other, to stare at his brother with a raised eyebrow, 'Peyton as in _the_ Peyton Sawyer?'

Lucas gave a short nod, 'Yep, the one and only.'

Nathan let out a bark of laughter, 'So I take it you're still crushing on her, then?'

'I don't think I ever stopped, Nate,' Lucas sighed, continuing up the stairs.

'You do realise you have a fiancé, right?' Nathan pointed out as he followed him, adjusting the case in his grip, 'How'd you even recognise her? There were so many people out there I could barely tell one from another.'

'I saw her here yesterday,' Lucas admitted quietly.

'What the hell was she doing here?' he asked as they reached the floor their bedrooms were on and headed down the corridor towards them.

'Apparently Mom's had her cleaning the place once a week for the past four years and she's going to be coming in and tidying up after us while we're here,' he explained.

'Wow, well she certainly kept that one quiet, didn't she?' Nathan laughed softly under his breath.

'I know, she could have at least mentioned it when we told her we were going to be coming here,' he said, shaking his head slightly.

'It's a typical Mom scheme, though, she's probably laughing her head off right now at how clever she's been about the whole thing,' Nathan chuckled, opening the door to his room.

Lucas continued slightly down the corridor for a couple more steps and then opened the door to his bedroom on the opposite side of the corridor, 'Yeah, remind me to bring this up with her later.'

'_Or_ you could just do it yourself now,' Nathan smirked, appearing in the doorway and pointing to Lucas' phone that was vibrating where he'd put it down on his bed.

Lucas glanced down and, sure enough, there was Karen's face smiling up at him from the caller ID screen. He picked it up and pressed the answer button, 'Hey, Mom, Nate and I were just talking about you.'

'_Hey, sweetie, say hi to your brother for me too, would you_?' Karen's voice said from the other end of the line.

'Nate, Mom says 'hi',' Lucas told him, sitting down on his bed.

'Hey, Mom,' Nathan smiled, 'I'm going to start unpacking so I'll be in my room if you need me. Later, dude.'

Lucas waved vaguely in his direction and Nathan disappeared across the corridor, 'He says 'hey' back.'

'_Yes, I heard that, honey, but thank you anyway. Are you guys at the house yet_?'

'Yeah we got here about an hour ago, Nate and I are just unpacking our stuff into our rooms,' Lucas told her.

'_Good, I'm glad to hear you're not just sitting on your backsides and letting everyone else do all the heavy lifting_,' she said in an approving tone.

''Course not, Mom, you raised us better than that,' Lucas chuckled.

'_You're damn right I did_,' she laughed, '_what was it like coming in through town_?'

'Crazy,' Lucas sighed, 'the main street was packed out with people all screaming and cheering and there were flags and banners everywhere.'

'_Well, I know it's weird having that kind of welcome in your hometown but at least you know that people are excited about having you back. Did you tell them about the ball_?'

'Yeah, Nate made an announcement while we were on the high street and we're going to send out invites either tomorrow or Sunday.'

'_Good, I already have my dress ready and I can't wait to see my boys again. I know your dad and Lily are really looking forward to seeing you too_.'

'So are we, it's been too long. Are Uncle Dan and Auntie Deb still coming too?'

'_Of course, I think Dan's already planning on a big advertising campaign for that episode. He's going to make the whole thing about the ball so you boys better be on your best behaviour and have the house looking up to his standards_,' she warned him.

'Well, I don't think there's any doubt that the last part of that will be sorted out at least. The cleaner seems very good at her job,' he commented, knowing his mother would catch up on his hint.

'_Ah, so you've met her then_?' Karen asked in an obviously fake casual tone.

'Yes, Mom, she was at the house yesterday when I arrived, I almost gave her a heart attack 'cause you hadn't told her I was coming early and she thought I was a burglar,' Lucas told her with a laugh as he remembered the incident.

'_Oh dear, it must have slipped my mind_,' she murmured but Lucas didn't believe her for a second.

'Mom, did you know that she was going to be at the house when you called me and told me to get there for six o'clock yesterday?' he asked, trying to make his voice sound disapproving.

'_I may have done…_,' Karen said slowly and he could hear the smile she was suppressing in her voice.

'_Mom_! You could have at least given me some warning, I must have looked like such an idiot in front of her just because I was so shocked to see her there…and then finding out that she's been cleaning our house for the past four years and you've never mentioned it once! I felt like such a fool…,' he groaned, burying his head in his hands.

'_I'm sorry, sweetie, but I thought it was best that you didn't know so you couldn't work yourself up over seeing her again. And I thought it would be better if you found out then instead of her turning up on the doorstep on Monday morning and giving you the surprise of your life. Besides, I'm sure she was just as shocked as you were and felt just as foolish, at least now you'll be prepared for seeing her three days a week_,' she soothed gently.

'Hmm, I still would have preferred knowing over acting like a bumbling idiot during our first conversation in years,' he muttered.

'_So…was she how you remembered her_?' Karen probed.

Lucas sighed and lay back on his bed to stare up at the ceiling, 'No…she's got even more beautiful since we left and I didn't even think that was possible.'

'_And do you still…like her_?'

'I'm not going to answer that, Mom,' he said, holding back a smile at his mother's less than subtle attempts at matchmaking, 'what about Lindsey?'

'_Sweetie, if you had ever genuinely moved on from your crush on Peyton then you know I wouldn't be bringing this up and I would be giving you and Lindsey my full support and blessing. I just think this time being around Peyton might help you to finally get over her or you might realise that you don't want to and that she's the one you want to be with. Just give it some thought, okay_?' Karen said softly.

'I already have, Mom,' he sighed in response, 'I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all since Peyton left yesterday.'

'_Do you think she'll come to the ball_?'

'I don't know, I hope so. Look, I have to get started on my unpacking now, Mom,' he told her, sitting up and glaring at his suitcase.

'_Okay, sweetie, just…keep thinking about it, alright_?'

'I will, Mom, I'll talk to you soon.'

'_Bye then, Lucas, and tell your brother I love him and to call me soon_,' Karen said.

'Bye,' he said, then hesitated, 'oh, and, Mom?'

'_Yes, Lucas_?'

'Thank you for…well, you know,' he mumbled.

He heard her chuckle down the phone, '_That's fine, sweetie, what else is a mother's intuition for_?'

**XxX**

The doors to the elevator slid shut behind Brooke and the metal box began its ascent to the penthouse of the building. She watched as the buttons on the panel in front of her lit up individually as the lift glided past floor after floor on its way to the top floor. It was around ten o'clock on Saturday morning and she had just come from a dress fitting for her FOTA awards ceremony gown. Brooke had been designing the dress before she actually won the award just in case she featured on the list again that year but now she had won the highest award available, she had had to edit her designs to make it bolder and better than before. After all, now she had been named FOTA for that year everyone would be watching her to see what she turned up in and if it was lacking then it could damage her carefully built-up reputation. With such little time before the ceremony on Tuesday, she had had to finish her designs and make the dress as quickly as possible. It was almost ready for the occasion but there were still a few tweaks that needed to be made in order for it to be perfect.

The lift's movement came to a stop and the doors opened smoothly to reveal a small lobby area with a few pot plants arranged in it and a mahogany door on the other side of it. Brooke fished her keys out from her purse as she crossed the foyer and slotted them into the door.

Once inside the apartment, she called out, 'Dad? It's me – Brooke. Are you up?'

There was a muffled reply from somewhere in the recesses of the penthouse and Brooke walked forward to locate where her father was. The apartment that Kathy and her father owned was sparsely but expensively decorated in fitting with the former's wishes and so it always felt to Brooke like she was visiting a show home rather than what was in essence her second home. When her mother, Victoria had still been alive the apartment had been rich in warmth and colour so that whenever the family had to stay there it felt welcoming and homely. In the wake of Victoria's death Brooke's father had stripped the apartment of anything that could remind him of his wife and it had remained cold, empty and almost completely without furniture until he had married Kathy and they had moved permanently into the apartment. Until recently, the penthouse had been a monument to the ultimate power couple: a business tycoon and a fashion mogul, with their wealth and success proudly displayed in everything they owned. Nothing was overstated or flashy but the whole atmosphere and look of the place just screamed 'money'. However, in the last year or so – as her father's health steadily declined – Brooke had witnessed the apartment be transformed into something that resembled more of a very fancy hospital ward than a home.

Brooke made her way towards her father's bedroom and knocked softly on the door. When she received nothing but silence in reply she gently pushed open the door, trying to be as quiet as possible in case her father was sleeping. However, once she had stepped inside the room she saw that the bed was empty and she could hear nothing but the general humming and beeping of the various medical equipment that was placed around the room. Her father and Kathy no longer shared a bedroom as the noises of all the machines kept Kathy awake and she had confided to Brooke that it distressed her too much to wake up and find him looking so fragile and worn-out beside her. It still upset Brooke whenever she looked around the room and saw that any vestiges of her father's personality had been stripped from it in order to make space for the machines that were monitoring and stabilising his health.

She shut the door again and navigated her way to the living room, hoping that her father was in there and not somewhere in the apartment passed out on the floor as he had been when she had come to visit a few months ago. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she pushed open the door and saw him sitting in his wing-back chair with a wide smile on his face.

'Princess! You're here,' Ted beamed at her, and slowly raised his arms out towards her.

'Hey, Dad,' Brooke smiled, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around him. She had to fight the urge to hug him as tight as possible from the joy that he was alright and reminded herself to hold him carefully. The press of his weak arms around her made her want to weep half with happiness at simply being able to be with him again and half with sorrow that the strong man she had once known had been reduced to a mere shell of his former self.

'How are you, my darling?' he asked as she released him.

Brooke pulled over the nearest chair so that she could sit next to him and hold onto his hand, 'I'm good thanks, Dad – even better for seeing you out of bed again. Are you feeling better today?'

He smiled at her, 'Yes thank you, princess, I woke up this morning and I just felt so much stronger than I have done in a long time. Still not good enough to go outside but I'm hoping it means that I'm on the mend at last.'

She forced herself to smile and nod, knowing that there had been many other 'good' days in the past where he had said similar things before relapsing and getting worse than ever. Brooke knew by now not to get her hopes up too much unless there was definitive proof of his health improving but she also was aware that it was important for her to encourage her father's optimism to keep him positive, so she said, 'Yeah, you look so much better today. Maybe if you're still feeling like this next week we could walk around the apartment a bit and get ready for you to go outside again.'

'That would be wonderful, darling,' he said, squeezing her hand, 'I miss going for walks around the city with you.'

'Me too, Dad, but we _will_ be able to again soon, I promise,' she assured him though her vow sounded false to her own ears.

Ted turned away from her for a moment to look out the window to his left where they could see the New York skyline sprawling out around them and he sighed, 'I hope so, princess, I really do.'

Brooke bit her lip and remained quiet for a moment before changing the topic and asking, 'So, is Kathy in?'

Ted looked back at her again, his expression composed into a small smile once more, 'No, she's out having breakfast with one of her friends…or possibly a client…I'm afraid I wasn't entirely awake when she told me. She has such a busy schedule that I can't really keep up with what she's up to from day to day.'

'But she is still taking good care of you, right?' Brooke asked, suddenly worried that her father was being neglected. When Ted had first become ill she had offered to move in with him and Kathy to help take care of him but they had both insisted that she keep her own place so that she was still independent. There were now regular carers that came in daily to give Kathy some relief so she could still work and have a social life but, as Ted's condition was stable, they were not needed all the time. Brooke had a feeling that her father had also objected to her moving in with them because he didn't want her to see him at his worst and worry her; he always put on a brave, positive face whenever she visited or called but she was certain that he must be struggling more than he was letting on.

He raised his eyebrows slightly at her question, 'Of course she is, why on earth wouldn't she be?'

'No reason,' Brooke shook her head quickly, 'I just worry about you when you're left alone, that's all.'

She felt him squeeze her hand again, 'Well you don't need to, darling, Kathy and the carers are doing a great job but, to be honest, I actually quite like it when they're gone and I can have some time to myself without everyone fussing over me. I've been reading a lot more and it's so hard to do with people asking you if you need to use the bathroom every five minutes.'

Brooke laughed, 'Yes, I can imagine that would get frustrating very quickly.'

'Now, princess, you must tell me about your news. I heard about your award, so I believe congratulations are in order,' he grinned proudly at her.

'Thank you, Dad, it was a bit of a shock, to be honest,' she admitted.

'Not to me it wasn't,' he chuckled, 'I always knew I had the fairest daughter and the fairest wife so it was about time everyone else acknowledged it too. I'm so proud of you, princess, you've worked so hard for it.'

Brooke blushed faintly at his praise and felt her eyes sting with tears, 'I still feel bad for taking Kathy's top spot.'

'Nonsense!' her father scoffed lovingly, 'She's almost as happy for you as I am, but of course I always get to say that I'm happier and more proud because I'm your father.'

'So she's not mad?' she asked, thinking of everything that Kathy had done to get to the top so far only to have it taken away from her.

'Of course not, darling,' he reassured her, 'why, has someone said something?'

'No, no not at all, I was just worried she might be.'

'Well don't be, you have nothing to be worried about; you have a wonderful stepmother who loves you dearly and only wants the best for you and anyone who says otherwise will face a suit from my lawyers,' he told her with a wink.

Brooke laughed, 'You're right, I'm just being paranoid.'

'Then that's a sure sign that you've made it: everyone who's anyone is at least a little bit paranoid,' he grinned, 'now, what about this dress you've been telling me about? Does it look as good as your sketches?'

She smiled at him, 'Better. I've altered the skirts and the shape of the bodice and it looks great. I've got another fitting on Monday and then it should be ready. I just have to find shoes and accessories to go with it.'

'That's my girl, always looking for the perfect outfit. You're going to look wonderful, princess, I'm only sorry that I'll have to watch you on TV rather than seeing you in person,' he said sadly.

Brooke tightened her hold on his hand and promised him, 'Then I'll have to come see you before I go to the ceremony.'

'That would be great, darling,' he beamed, 'thank you for thinking of your old man on your special night.'

'You're not old,' she laughed, though she knew that his face and body had aged at least ten years in the space of one, 'you're _mature_ and you know that's all the rage right now. You've got the whole 'silver fox' look going on.'

She ruffled his hair and he laughed, 'Is that what it is then? I'll have to remember that one.'

The sound of the front door closing caused them both to jump a little and then Kathy's voice called out from somewhere in the apartment, 'Brooke, is that you?'

'Yeah, I'm in the living room with Dad,' she shouted back.

A second later, Kathy swept into the room like she was entering a party with a big smile on her face, 'I heard voices when I opened the door and I thought it must be you. Hello, darling, how was the dress fitting?'

Brooke stood and hugged her stepmother, 'Fine, thanks, just need to shorten the skirt a little and take in the waist and it'll be ready. Have you got your dress sorted yet?'

'Oh, darling, I've had mine ready since March,' Kathy laughed, sitting down on the chair on the other side of Ted from Brooke's, 'I had the idea for it ages ago and knew I'd have to save it for a _very_ special occasion. We'll be the two belles of the ball, or awards ceremony.'

'Of course you will,' Ted agreed, taking his wife's hand and kissing it, 'I can't wait to see my two girls looking their best and showing the rest of the world how it's done.'

Kathy smiled at him and touched his face gently, 'I wish you could be there, dear, it won't be the same without you on my arm.'

'I'll be there in spirit,' he shrugged, trying to act like he wasn't that upset by it but they could all see that he was finding it difficult, 'besides, you know I'd probably get bored listening to everyone talking about clothes and all that stuff.'

'True, I do seem to remember that you fell asleep during one of the speeches a few years ago,' Kathy teased him.

'Yes, but I think the champagne may also have had something to do with that as well,' Brooke chuckled.

'What can I say? The guy had been droning on about some sculpture for a good ten minutes,' Ted laughed, 'but at least this year I can mute all the dull bits.'

'Just as long as you don't doze off and miss our speeches,' Kathy smiled.

'Wouldn't dream of it, dear, I'd never hear the end of it from you two if I did,' he said with a grin.

'I'll have to come over and cook us all a special meal to celebrate,' Brooke said.

'That would be lovely, darling,' Kathy told her, 'we'll have to arrange a day for it – if your father's feeling up to it, of course.'

'I will be,' Ted promised quickly.

'Good,' Brooke smiled and then sighed, 'I'm afraid I've got to head off now to sort out some things at the office.'

'Okay, Brooke, I'll see you soon,' Kathy said, standing up and hugging her, 'it's probably best anyway, you're father needs all the rest he can get if he's going to be well enough for that dinner.'

'See you later, Kathy,' Brooke said, letting go of her and then bending down to hug her father, 'bye, Dad, I'll speak to you soon and I'll be round again on Tuesday before the ceremony, okay?'

'Sure thing, princess,' Ted nodded and hugged her back with what little strength he had.

Brooke waved at them both before making her way out of the apartment, hoping that her father would still be feeling better the next time she saw him. Right now, he was looking relatively healthy but she knew that it was unlikely to last. Ted Davis had been a wealthy businessman with power and influence until a year or so ago when his health had suddenly deteriorated and he had eventually become unable to work anymore. He still owned his company and was consulted on important decisions but he acknowledged that he was no longer up to having the same responsibilities that he'd once had and so had left the running of the business to others. Despite multiple procedures and tests his doctors had been unable to determine what had caused his sudden illness. While they had been able to tell the family that they were certain that his condition was not fatal, they were not able to offer him a definitive cure while they were still unsure what exactly was wrong with him. He had been given medication to help him with his pain and to keep his condition stable but in the past couple of months he had had to start using a ventilator to help him breathe at night. The once powerful, strong man had been reduced to a much smaller version of himself but he refused to be put into a care home or to stay in hospital as he still had his pride and didn't want to appear any weaker than he already was. While Brooke had hope that one day her father would be well again, she also lived in fear that there would come a day when his condition would no longer be stable and she would lose him forever. She kept her anxieties to herself so as to not distress Kathy or her father but when she was alone she found herself almost paralysed by the fear that one day she might find herself orphaned and alone in a city that already made her feel small and insignificant.

**XxX**

The Saturday afternoon sun was out in full force as Lucas walked down the street, enjoying the feeling of the warm breeze on his skin and gently messing up his hair. One of the cameramen, Skills, followed him from a slight distance, occasionally moving around to shoot him from different angles. Skills was also from Tree Hill and had been in the same year as the Scott brothers. He had been working as a cameraman on _The Scott Life_ ever since they'd graduated from high school, along with their friend Mouth who worked as a sound and lighting technician on the show. The four men had always been good friends but through working together on the show for the past four years they had become even closer and saw one another as family.

Filming had already started for the first episode of the new season as it was to be aired on Monday. The episode would mostly focus on the boys moving back in and getting settled, as well as introducing a few of Tree Hill's residents, and the footage would be intercut between scenes from Dan's life that had already been shot a couple of months ago. Currently, Lucas was on his way to the town bookshop to browse the shelves and to reunite with his old school friend, Haley James, while Nathan was being filmed practicing his basketball skills back at the house with their old high school coach, Whitey. The idea was that there would be a scene focusing on each of the boys' passions whilst also showing the audience people from their childhood who had helped them to cultivate that passion.

'Okay, Luke, I've got enough footage of you walking around and the buildings, so now you just need to tell me about books and who Haley is – you know the drill,' Skills told him, repeating the instructions they had been given back at the house by the director, who had decided to stay with Nathan and Whitey rather than come with them.

Lucas nodded and then asked, 'Do you want me to talk and walk or to stop somewhere?'

'How far is it to this bookshop from here?' Skills asked in reply.

'A couple of minutes' walk – just the next street along,' Lucas told him.

'Cool, walk and talk then, we've got time before we get there.'

Again, Lucas nodded, then took a breath and started speaking, 'I got into books from a young age. I mean, obviously every kid gets read books by their parents when they're little and that's exactly what my mom and dad did for me and Nate, but the point where they became more than just words and pictures without much meaning happened quite early for me. I remember when I was five and my mom sat down with me and read Peter Pan to me; it was this incredible leather-bound book with a few pictures and really thick, smooth pages and I fell in love with it and the story. It completely came alive for me and it was like I was there with Peter and Wendy in Neverland, meeting the mermaids and the Lost Boys, fighting Hook. For ages after my mom had finished reading it to me, I used to wait up and stare out my window, just hoping that Tinkerbell would suddenly fly in and sprinkle me with fairy dust so I could fly away too and have an adventure. After that, my mom gave me the book to keep because I loved it so much and I started to find others to go with it so I could find more adventures to go on and more characters to get to know. The more I read, the more I found I loved the worlds that the authors created and I was amazed at how they could paint pictures of scenes and people just with words.

'I used to think that I'd never find someone who loved books as much as me and I got teased quite a bit by my friends and classmates for always having my nose stuck in a book. Then I met Haley James and it turned out that she was just as into reading as I was and she became my first friend who was a girl – because, of course, up to that point girls were all gross and stupid. But Haley was anything but stupid, she's one of the smartest people I know. Just before Nate and I started fourth grade our parents had to make the difficult decision to take us out of school and away from our peers and to have us home-schooled. However, they still allowed me to see Haley once a week so we could help each other with our homework and talk about whichever books we were reading at the time. Since I moved away, we've kinda grown apart – which I regret completely – because we've both been at college and so have been busy but I'm hoping that we can reconnect again over the thing that brought us together in the first place: books. So, right now I'm headed to the town's bookshop that Haley's family owns and she runs. And now here we are: The Book Emporium.'

He came to a stop in front of an old-fashioned building and gestured to the sign above it where the shop's name was written in gold calligraphy. Skills panned the camera up to show the sign and then moved around to get a clear shot of the building itself before stopping filming and lowering the camera.

'Was that okay? Do you need me to do any of it again?' Lucas asked.

'Nope, that was great, dude, you're a pro at this,' Skills grinned at him, giving him a thumbs up.

'Well, I've had a fair bit of practice,' Lucas murmured, glancing down at the camera.

'You ready to go in?' Skills asked, pointing to the shop.

Lucas nodded and walked over to the door, pushing it open and holding it for Skills to follow after him, who was now back to filming again. He smiled as the familiar sound of the shop bell above the door rang out to announce their arrival and he took in the sight of row upon row of bookshelves all filled with books. There was no one at the till or in sight, so they wandered through the rows until they came across a young woman slotting books back into their correct places.

Lucas smiled at the sight of her, 'Hi, Hales.'

The woman span around quickly to face them with a shocked expression on her face that turned into one of joy when she saw who it was addressing her, 'Luke!'

She dropped the book that was in her hand and rushed up the aisle to throw her arms around his neck. She felt his laughter emanating from his chest and it was so infectious that she joined in as his arms came up around her and squeezed her back.

He released her and grinned, 'It's so good to see you again, Hales!'

'It's great to see you too,' she beamed at him, 'it's been way too long and I'm sorry for that.'

'No, no don't apologise – it's my fault too,' he said, waving away her apology, 'we've both had college and now you're running this place. I can't believe it, you're a successful businesswoman after – what? – a couple of months of being a graduate.'

'Well, look at you, Mr Published Author,' she returned, 'I read your book, Luke, it was _amazing_! But, I mean, of course it would be – you're a Scott – everything you touch is a success!'

'I wouldn't put it quite like that,' he murmured, colouring a little.

'Well, how would you put it? You're an author, a basketball player, TV star and millionaire,' Haley said with a smile but when she saw him look away awkwardly and scratch the back of his neck she reached out and touched his arm, 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I'm proud you've achieved all that and you should be too. And I think it's great that you're back in town.'

Lucas looked back at her and smiled, 'Thanks, Haley, I really appreciate it. You were always such a harsh critic of books when we were growing up that it means a lot to me that you liked the book. And I'm really happy that I'm back too.'

'Do you have another masterpiece up your sleeve, then?' Haley asked.

Lucas grimaced, 'I'm running a bit low on inspiration at the moment, actually. It's one of the reasons I wanted to take a break and get back to my roots, you know, rediscover why I wanted to become a writer in the first place.'

'Well, I hope you find it because the world definitely needs more books like yours,' she smiled encouragingly.

'If you can point me in the way of some good books that I haven't read yet, I'm sure that'd be a great start,' he said, 'the place looks great, by the way. Have you refurbished it or something?'

Haley nodded, 'Sort of, let me show you around. Most of the shop's the same, just spruced up a bit, but I'm guessing you haven't seen the library yet?'

Lucas shook his head, 'A library? That's amazing, Hales! When did you build it?'

Haley started walking down the aisle and gestured for them to follow her, 'We started work a couple of years ago and we had the grand opening just under a year ago.'

She showed them the archway that led into the library and they walked down the couple of steps into it. As usual, it was full of people browsing or reading books and it made Lucas smile to see so many other people sharing their passion. The library was all one room and, while it was not particularly large, there was space for several bookshelves, tables and chairs and a small play area for children. The whole space was warm and inviting and Lucas could already tell that he was going to spend some of his time here if he could help it.

'This place is great, Haley, really; it's so good to have a space like this for people just to come and sit and read or relax. How'd you get the money to build it?' he asked, gazing around himself to take it all in.

Haley laughed, 'By using up all my savings, most of my dad's and by donations from loads of people who also wanted to see this happen. People have been so supportive throughout the whole process, I'm just happy that it's all come together so I can give back to them through this place. Someday, if I ever manage to scrape together the money, I'd like to extend it more to make room for more books and maybe some computers, but I don't think it'll be happening any time soon.'

'Well, if you'll let me, I'd love to help you out with that in any way I can,' Lucas offered.

'Oh no, I didn't mean–,' she began to say, colouring at the thought of him supposing that she'd been fishing around for a donation.

'I know you didn't,' Lucas stopped her with a grin, 'I just meant that we talked about how great it'd be if the town had a library years ago and now it has one…well, I'd just like to contribute something towards it to get more people as excited about books as we are.'

Haley opened her mouth to tell him that it really wasn't necessary but just then they heard the sound of the shop bell and she sighed, deciding to bring it up with him later, 'I'd better go and see who that is, but feel free to have a look around and browse the books for a bit like I'm sure you're dying to. Come and find me when you're done, okay?'

'Okay, thanks, Haley,' he smiled and watched her disappear back into the shop to deal with her customer.

Lucas spent a few minutes looking around the library and searching through the books while Skills went around shooting footage of the place. When he'd seen that he'd already read most of the books in the library section, Lucas made his way back through to the shop to see if there was anything that he'd want to buy there. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that Haley was at the counter talking to none other than Peyton. He was so dazzled that she should be there that, for a second, he just stood there gaping at the two of them from the archway before remembering that the two women were old friends and so her being there was nothing to be surprised about. Quickly, he slipped into one of the rows of books so that he was out of sight of them and started to browse the books whilst still glancing up every now and then to check that they were still talking.

'Dude, why are you hiding from Peyton Sawyer?' Skills laughed loudly when he caught up with Lucas.

Lucas glared at him and motioned for him to quieten down before checking to see that the girls hadn't heard his outburst; upon seeing that they hadn't noticed it, he turned back to Skills, 'I'm not hiding from her, I'm just…browsing.'

He picked up a book and waved it in his friend's face, who just snorted, 'Yeah okay if that's what you wanna call it.'

'Oh? Well what would _you_ call it, then?' Lucas challenged, raising an eyebrow.

'Um…spying, stalking, y'know, generally being weird,' Skills smirked.

Lucas punched him on the arm, 'Hey, I'm not doing or being any of those! I just…want to avoid her for a bit.'

'Why? This isn't still about your high school crush on her, is it?' he teased, earning him another punch.

'_No_ it's not!' Lucas huffed, 'I really wish everyone would stop talking about it like that. Look, I just had a bit of an awkward encounter with her the other day and I just need a moment or two to figure out what I'm going to say to her before I go up to her so I don't make an idiot out of myself…again.'

Skills was silent for a moment, his lips twitching as they fought to hold back a laugh, until it burst forth from him in a deep chuckle, 'You're _so_ hot for her still!'

'_Shut up_!' Lucas hissed, stalking away from him angrily to the next row of books.

Skills followed him, still laughing, 'What? It's true, isn't it?'

'I said 'shut up',' Lucas told him, trying to keep his voice quiet.

'I'll take that as a 'yes' then,' he laughed.

'Seriously, man. Shut. Up,' Lucas muttered through gritted teeth, cursing the fact that his blush so obviously gave him away.

Skills' cell phone started to buzz and he grinned as he picked it up, 'Saved by the bell, eh?'

He wandered away a little bit to take the call and Lucas returned to looking at the books, pulling out a couple here and there that caught his interest. By the time Skills came back from his phone call, he already had an armful stacked up beside him.

'The boss wants me back at the house to help out with something so I guess you're safe for now,' he told him.

'Does he need me back yet?' Lucas asked.

'Nope, he said you're good to finish up here first, just make your way back afterwards,' Skills replied.

'Okay then, I'll see you in a bit,' Lucas nodded, grateful that he would get a bit of a break from filming.

'Later, dude,' Skills said, waving and walking out of the shop.

Immediately after he heard the shop bell ring out again to signal Skills' departure, Lucas returned to his search of the shelves. He had to give up again a few minutes later as he realised that if he found any more books to buy then he wasn't going to be able to carry them back with him without the help of a forklift truck. He and Skills had walked into town so that they could get enough footage of the town and the surrounding area so he didn't even have the option of loading up his car and he didn't want to call someone to pick him up when he'd only just earned himself a small window of freedom. Heaving up his pile of books and heading over to the counter, he saw that it was now just Haley standing at the counter and he looked around for Peyton but couldn't see her anywhere.

'I see you've raided half the shop,' Haley smiled when she saw him, nodding at the books he was carrying.

'I've barely made it past the first couple of rows yet, I'm definitely going to have to come back and make several more trips until I've got through all your collection,' he laughed.

'Where's Skills got to, then?' Haley asked as she took the books from him to scan and noted the cameraman's absence.

'He's had to get back to the house,' Lucas explained, 'sorry that he was there earlier when we saw each other. I really didn't want the first time we've spoken in ages to be on film but our director insisted.'

Haley shook her head, 'It's fine, really. I mean, it was a bit weird for a while but when I first saw you I honestly didn't even notice that we were being filmed and then when I did I saw that it was Skills behind the camera and it kinda put me at ease knowing it was someone I know, if that makes sense.'

'Of course it does,' Lucas nodded, 'I'm the same, that's way Nate and I insisted on having only our friends who are crew coming here with us so that we'd feel comfortable enough to act like ourselves.'

'Sounds like a good idea,' she said.

'I saw Peyton come in, did she leave again?' he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible while his heart hammered in his ears.

'No, she's just over there looking at art supplies,' Haley told him, leaning round and pointing to the furthest corner of the shop where they could just about make out a few of Peyton's curls emerging from behind the shelves.

Lucas raised an eyebrow inquisitively, 'You sell art stuff as well as books now?'

Haley smiled, 'There's nowhere in town for her to buy them from and the nearest art shop is miles away and she doesn't like to buy them over the internet because she says she can't try them out so I order them in for her. I set up a little art corner over there because I know other people like it too.'

She pushed the bags with his books in towards him over the counter top and the total flashed up on the small monitor next to him, 'Do you still have my old account here open?'

'I think so,' Haley said, turning to her computer and typing in a few words, 'I'd completely forgotten about that…yes, it's right here, still open. Do you want me to charge the bill to that?'

'Yes, please,' he nodded, then glanced over at Peyton again, 'oh, and could you also charge whatever Peyton buys onto my account too, please?'

Now it was Haley's turn to raise an eyebrow questioningly at him, 'Really? Why on earth are you doing that?'

Lucas just smirked mysteriously and tapped the side of his nose, 'That's for me to know and for you to figure out, Haley James. But can you keep it just between us?'

'Okay then, but on your head be it because she's probably not gonna be happy about it,' she warned him.

'I've seen Peyton's wrath in action before and it _was_ pretty terrifying,' he laughed.

'And you still want to go through with it?' she asked incredulously.

'Yep,' he nodded, 'look, I've got to head back up to the house now but it was really great seeing you again, Hales. Can we arrange a time to meet up and catch up properly next week?'

'Sure, sounds good,' she smiled, 'my number's still the same so give me a text or a call and we'll sort something out. And here, have one of these,' she pushed a voucher towards him, 'it means you can get a free drink and meal at your mom's café next door because you bought _well _over ten books. Not that you need it seeing as you can probably get free stuff there all the time. See you soon, Luke.'

'Thanks, that's great actually – I definitely don't think my mom would let me get away with eating loads of free food there! Bye, Hales,' he smiled back at her, picked up the voucher and his bags and left the shop.

A couple of seconds later, Peyton appeared at the counter and pushed a sketchbook and some oil paints onto it, searching in her bag to find her wallet, 'Thanks for getting these in for me, Hales, I've almost finished my old sketchbook and my paints are completely dried out after Megan found them and decided to use them for an art project and forgot to put the lids back on,' she produced her wallet with a triumphant smile only to see Haley chewing her bottom lip anxiously, 'what?'

'Your bill's already been paid for,' Haley said hesitantly.

'What do you mean? I don't understand,' she frowned.

'The customer who paid just before you charged it to their account and said they'd pay for it,' she explained, waiting for her friend's temper to flare.

If anything, Peyton looked more shocked than enraged in that moment as she asked, 'Who was it?'

'I don't really–,' Haley began to say.

'_Who_ was it, Haley?' Peyton demanded, cutting her off as her anger took over.

'Lucas Scott,' Haley mumbled but Peyton still caught it and paled slightly.

Then she set her face into one of determination, grabbed her stuff off the counter and stomped towards the door, calling out over her shoulder, 'I'll see you later, Hales.'

'Bye,' Haley called out after her but she knew that the blonde wouldn't have caught it.

The shop door slammed shut after Peyton and Haley began to feel immensely sorry for Lucas and what he was about to experience.

Lucas was halfway down the street when he heard the sound of angry footsteps storming up the sidewalk behind him and, guessing that Haley would have broken and told Peyton what he'd done, he quickened his pace in the hope that he might lose her.

'Lucas Scott!' he winced as her furious voice rang out behind him, 'What the hell do you think you're doing?'

Sighing as he realised that there was no way he could delay the confrontation now, he stopped walking and slowly turned round to face her, his hands raised in surrender, 'Peyton, I–'

'No, you listen to me!' she shouted, marching up to stand in front of him with her hair flying around her face like some avenging angel, 'First of all: you don't know me. Second of all: you don't know me. I don't need your pity or your handouts, I can take care of myself. So, have this.'

She held out a handful of notes towards him, her face fixed in an expression of determined anger.

Lucas shook his head, 'I'm not going to accept that, Peyton. I don't pity you and it wasn't meant to be a handout. It was _meant_ to be a gift, not an insult.'

'Well, thank you but I don't need or want your gifts,' she said firmly, still holding out the money, 'look, I appreciate everything your parents already do for me, I really do, but I'm not some charity case, okay?'

'Peyton, I didn't even know you worked for my family until Thursday so I sure as hell don't know their reasons behind employing you. I don't know why you think we're treating you like a charity case but I can assure you that this isn't what this is,' he told her gently.

Peyton's shoulders relaxed slightly at this but her position and expression remained defensive as she asked, 'So what _is_ this, then?'

'This is partly an apology for making you think that I was burgling the house on Thursday and almost making you kill me with a feather duster,' he said with a smile.

He sighed inwardly in relief as he saw the corners of her mouth twitch up slightly at that and she blushed a little at the memory, 'Thank you, but I don't need an apology gift.'

'Well, if you'd let me finish then I could explain to you that it's mostly a gift from me, Nathan and everyone staying up at Hillcrest,' he began again.

'I already told you I don't mind cleaning the place,' Peyton butted in.

Lucas chuckled, 'Seriously, would you let me finish?' He paused and she nodded to let him continue, 'Okay, it's just something all of us involved in the show agreed that we wanted to do. We're sending care packages to everyone in town but when I spoke to my mom about it she said it was a great idea but to do something else for you and your sister because you probably wouldn't ever get the gift,' he could see the look of alarm that crossed her face and he rushed on to reassure her, 'don't worry: she didn't say why you wouldn't receive it. She just said to find something else to give you so when I saw you in the shop just now I figured that I could do that for you. But if it upsets you so much I can always find something else to give you.'

Peyton shook her head quickly, embarrassed now that she had jumped down his throat when he was only trying to do something nice for everyone in the town, 'No, no, that's fine. But don't you think that you're already doing enough for the town? I mean, you just being here is going to boost business massively and then you're also throwing us a ball – not that all that isn't great, of course.'

'Well, the way we see it, this is the town that we grew up in and that supported us when we were growing up and has continued to be behind us even when we left. The people who live here made us who we are, so we really can't do _enough_ to thank everyone here,' he explained.

'That's really kind of you,' she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she began to feel awkward in front of him again now that her anger had abated, 'thank you for doing that for us. And I'm sorry I yelled at you, I just thought–'

He held up a hand to stop her, 'I know, and that's my fault – I should have explained why I was doing that rather than just letting you think it was a payout or something but I sort of hoped it would be one of those 'random acts of kindness' moments and it'd make you happy. You weren't really meant to find out it was me.'

'Yeah, I kind of got a bit scary with Haley so she'd tell me, I'll have to say sorry for that later,' she bit her lip and he laughed.

'Believe me, I don't blame her for giving in, seeing you like that just now I reckon I'd have told you all my secrets just to get you to stop looking at me like you were going to kill me,' he joked, making her blush.

She groaned and buried her face in her hands, 'Sorry…again!'

He chuckled, 'That's fine but maybe you can make up for it by helping me out.'

'Sure, what do you need?' she asked, dropping her hands but still avoiding his gaze slightly.

'Well, I've already given you a gift but I have no idea what to give to Elise. She must be – what? – ten/eleven now?'

'Eleven,' Peyton nodded, a smile gracing her lips at the thought of her baby sister.

'What kind of stuff is she into? 'Cause if she's anything like you were at that age then I know getting her a doll or anything girly would be a _big_ mistake,' he said with a grin.

Peyton laughed, 'Yeah, definitely don't get her a doll. I mean, she's more into that kind of thing than I was but she doesn't need anymore. She's actually really into books so _you_ should be able to think of something pretty easily.'

'Ah great, I'll get looking for something good then,' he smiled.

'I'm sure whatever you get her she'll love, she can't get enough of reading at the moment,' she said.

'Sounds like a girl after my own heart,' Lucas grinned.

They stayed staring at one another both with smiles on their faces before Peyton coughed and looked away, 'Well, I really need to be getting back to work – my break ended like five minutes ago.'

'Oh, sure, yeah you go then,' he blinked rapidly as she pulled him from his slight daze, 'and if your boss says anything about you being late then just tell them it's my fault.'

She chuckled and raised her eyebrows, 'Somehow I don't think it'll be an issue with my boss. I'll see you on Monday, then.'

He quirked an eyebrow at her in confusion as he tried to remember if he had agreed to do something then, 'Monday?'

'Yeah, to clean your house,' she let out a laugh at the look of understanding that dawned on his face at that.

'Oh! Right yes, of course…the house,' he said, then running his hand through his hair in embarrassment, 'kinda forgot about that. What days do you come in?'

'Karen said Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from now on, but I'm only doing a full day on Fridays and the other two will just be half days or a couple of hours, depending on how much mess you've managed to make,' she told him with a grin.

'Okay great!' he said enthusiastically before realising that perhaps he had seemed a little too excited and clearing his throat awkwardly, 'Um well, Monday then.'

'Bye, Lucas,' Peyton smiled and began to turn to walk back to the café.

'I'll be seeing ya,' he called out after her and she half-turned back to him, gave him a nod and a small wave before pivoting back and walking away from him.

Lucas watched her for a moment before letting out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He brought his hands up to his head and pushed back his hair, then let out a low chuckle and turned round to make his way back home, thoughts of the feisty blonde running through his head at a hundred kilometres a minute.

Peyton was almost at the café and just walking past the window of the newsagents a couple of shops away from it when one of the magazines in the stand outside the shop caught her eye. She stopped walking for a moment and went over to pick it up. The magazine was a trashy gossip one that she normally wouldn't touch with a disinfected bargepole but something about one of the headlines sprawled in neon pink letters across its cover made her look at it. The picture beneath it was of Lucas and his fiancé Lindsey Strauss holding hands but it had been edited to look like it had been ripped in two so that the couple had been separated to either side of the picture. The headline above it read:

_SURPRISE SPLIT: Lucas calls off engagement to Lindsey!_

She felt her eyebrows rise in surprise: Lucas and Lindsey were one of the most popular A-list couples around at the moment. At first, she put it down to it being a gossip magazine that rarely ever printed anything other than unsubstantiated rumours and quotes from washed-up celebrities and placed it back in the stand, figuring that it was probably just something that one of Lucas or Lindsey's so-called 'close friends' dishing some dirt on them for cash. But then as she started to walk away again, she saw that the same story was splashed across the front page of every magazine and newspaper in the stand and in the shop window. The news was presented in differing ways depending on the style of the publication but the story amounted to the same thing: Lucas and Lindsey's relationship was over, mostly likely ended by him. And, if every newspaper and magazine in the country was reporting the same thing, then it was highly unlikely just to be hearsay.

**XxX**

Haley watched Peyton storm down the street from the shop window until she was out of view, wincing as she saw that the shop door was still quivering slightly on its hinges from when her friend and had slammed it shut. She hoped that Peyton wouldn't be too hard on Lucas as he had only been trying to do something nice but she knew that Peyton was incredibly sensitive when it came to people trying to do things for her. She'd become so suspicious of other people over the years because of the way that her stepfamily treated her that she no longer trusted anyone's motives to be truly altruistic. She especially didn't trust kindness from people she didn't know very well as she always thought they were only helping her out of pity or obligation. Brooke and Haley had tried over the years to get her to see that sometimes people _could_ just do nice things because they were nice people but had so far failed to convince her.

She sighed and went back to sorting through the receipts and change in the till to make sure everything was in its right section. The rest of the afternoon went fairly slowly and she only had a few more customers coming in so by the time that it came to close the shop and library, Haley was grateful to finally be getting away from the quietness of the building. She always tried her best to keep busy whenever she was having a slower day but there was only so many times she could check that the photocopier and printers had enough paper in them. Haley had just finished sweeping the floors to get rid of the day's dirt that had been trod into it when she heard her phone ringing.

Putting the broom to rest up against the counter, she dug out her phone from her pocket and hit the answer button without looking at the screen to see who was calling, 'Hello?'

'_Haley, this is your number isn't it_?' a familiar voice at the end of the line asked but Haley couldn't quite place where she knew it from.

'Yes, who is this?' she asked, leaning back against the counter tiredly.

'_Haley, dear, this is Karen, Karen Scott_,' the woman said and Haley instantly pushed herself off the counter in surprise as it clicked in her head who was speaking.

'Karen! Yes, of course, I'm so sorry I just couldn't place your voice for a moment,' she cried hastily, 'how are you doing?'

'_I'm very well thank you, sweetheart, and yourself_?'

'I'm good too, thanks. I've just had your son in here actually boosting business with his book purchases.'

'_It was Lucas then, I presume_?' Karen laughed.

'Yeah, sorry should have mentioned that,' Haley chuckled.

'_Well the books part was a fair bit of a giveaway. That's good that he's finally gone to see you, then. I've been on at him for ages to give you a call or something and I told him that if he didn't go to see you once he was in town then I'd have to come down myself and march him round to see you_!'

'I'm sure he'd have been _thrilled_ about that,' Haley laughed, 'but it's my fault too that we fell out of touch – we were both just busy, I guess.'

'_Even so, I'm glad you're picking up again. You two were always such good friends it would have been a shame to have seen that go to waste_,' Karen said.

'Yeah, I'm happy too. We're going to have a catch up sometime next week and I'm looking forward to it,' she told the older woman.

'_Wonderful! I'm so looking forward to seeing you again when we come down for the ball next Friday_.'

'You and Keith are going to be there?' Haley asked.

'_We are_,' Karen confirmed, '_Lily's still trying to convince us to let her come too but we're undecided yet – it's going to be a late night and if Nathan has anything to do with the planning of it then there'll definitely be lots of alcohol there and I'm not quite sure I want her to see that side of her big brother yet_.'

'No, perhaps not,' Haley said, thinking of all the stories there had been in the news about Nathan's drunken exploits, 'though I'm sure he'd be on his best behaviour if his little sister was there.'

'_Hmm…yes, you'd hope so but I don't know if I want to take the risk yet_,' Karen murmured, '_but anyway, let's not focus on my son's misdemeanours. I was calling to ask you a favour – not that it isn't lovely to chat to you, of course, but I know if I don't ask you now then I'll get off the phone with you and realise that I've forgotten to say anything_!'

'Of course,' Haley chuckled, 'go ahead.'

'_Well, it's about Nathan, actually_,' Karen started a bit hesitantly.

'Oh?' Haley asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

'_Yeah, I was wondering, do you still run your tutoring service that you used to in school_?'

'Yes, I do, why – do you need me to tutor someone?'

'_As a matter of fact, I do, yes. Haley, I wanted to ask you if you would tutor my son – Nathan_.'

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully, if you're a Leyton fan you'll be happy now, if you're a Naley fan I promise there will be NH scenes in the next chapter so just a bit more of a wait. Again, not sure how long it'll be before I've finished the next chapter because work is mega busy and tiring at the moment but the school breaks up for Easter soon so then hopefully I'll have a bit more energy and time during the holidays when the children aren't taking up all of it to write. Next chapter will be the awards ceremony, ball preparations and Haley's first tutoring session with Nathan. Hope you liked this chapter and please review if you have time! **


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